


As Normal As a Titan Can Be

by NinesByDawn



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Dating, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Post-Canon, Romance, Team Bonding, longfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 70,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27841138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinesByDawn/pseuds/NinesByDawn
Summary: Set after Trouble in Tokyo. After years of fighting supervillains and keeping Jump City safe, the Titans put the chaos to a stop for now. With newfound free time, the team finds itself adjusting, but learning to value the blandness of normalcy. A certain empath and masked vigilante, both still haunted by their inner demons, begin to find comfort in and appreciate their already special connection even more.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Koriand'r, Dick Grayson/Raven, Raven & Victor Stone, Robin/Raven, Robrae
Comments: 5
Kudos: 28





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise holiday gift for my AO3 RobRae readers! I'm finally getting around to crossposting my stuff from FFN. This is the origin story for every other RobRae piece I've posted on here (aka I wrote this first and everything else in my RobRaeverse takes place after this)
> 
> The full fic is of course already on FFN, but if you prefer to stay here (which I don't blame you since FFN is literally down rn as I am writing this), I'll be uploading a new chapter every week or so (might be quicker if y'all comment a lot tho)
> 
> This was also written in high school so excuse the difference in quality of writing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little more characterization to the prequel episode "Go".

The thief slipped into the alleyway just as the police cars turned the corner. He knew the trick wouldn’t last long before they caught on. Checking his surroundings, he ran down the alley, searching for a way to freedom. Suddenly, a shadow flew over his head. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked around for the source of darkness. His mind barely registered the slight whoosh of air before the Birdarang struck the hand holding the gun.

“Aah!” he circled around quickly now, eyes darting from corner to corner to try to find the source of the darkness. “I don’t want trouble!” he uttered nervously.

“You should’ve thought about that before you committed the crime.” The reply came coldly as a masked figure stepped into the light. He was relatively short for his age, albeit extremely built. He exuded an air of chilly confidence about him, which made even his bright-colored costume intimidating. He leapt up, and in the blink of an eye, his foot connected with the thief’s face.

The thief tried fighting back, lunging at Robin, but the outcome was never really in doubt. He soon found himself knocked against the wall, dazed as Robin stood over him.

“Hey wait a second…” the thief finally put two and two together. “This isn’t your city. Aren’t you supposed to be working with—”

“I just moved here,” Robin replied. “And from now on, I work alone.” Internally, Robin sighed. It was true that it would take some time to shed his reputation as a sidekick and replace that with one of a standalone hero. He hated having to go after petty criminals, but he had to start somewhere. Jump City seemed like a good fit, given that it was both a bustling metropolis and a city without a hero. His thoughts were interrupted by a bright streak shooting across the sky. Seconds later, the streak crashed with a bright flash and loud explosion. Robin glanced at the thief, who was looking at him fearfully.

“I’ll be back for you,” Robin muttered as he tied to the thief up with rope. He arrived at the scene to witness an alien girl wrecking the…balcony of Pizza Corner? Robin threw another one of his trusty Birdarangs, striking the girl on her crown. She spun around, growling something in an alien language, and Robin leapt into action.

From the shadows, the young empath watched the fight with curious violet eyes. The alien girl was clearly the stronger fighter, but the boy with the obnoxiously colorful costume was staying in it with his superior strategizing and range of useful gadgets. Raven contemplated joining the fight. She hated feeling left out. But fight for whose side?

 _Stay out of it,_ a voice in her head admonished. _It’s too risky. You belong with the darkness._

 _She needs help,_ another voice replied. _She’s not evil. Just confused._

 _So does the boy!_ a third voice argued. _Does he look like a criminal?_

 _Let me focus,_ Raven stated to the voices. She stared at the two fighters, focusing intently on their emotions. She sensed great determination and indignation from the boy, as well as a little uncertainty. Although he was in the fight, could he actually win? In contrast, she detected a lot of fear and confusion from the alien girl. She had landed on a strange planet and wanted to just…leave. And now she was being attacked.

 _See?_ the voice said. _No need to fight._

 _Exactly._ a darker, more sinister voice emerged. _Why fight?_ It sneered. _Your time on this planet is numbered, just as everything in your life is._

 _You shut up,_ Raven retorted. _We will wait and see what happens. It’s impossible to negotiate in an alien language. And I don’t like people all that much anyway._

_That’s because they don’t like you._

“Even the Doom Patrol couldn’t have prepared me for this,” Beast Boy whispered as he watched the fight. He yelped and turned into a mouse, scurrying away as a giant pillar fell near him. From a distance, he couldn’t quite make out who the male fighter was, but it looked like…Robin? The Boy Wonder? The little green thing gasped as the caped figure was thrown to the ground. He had to confirm who the boy was. It was action time.

The tall figure in the hoodie sprinted towards the source of the commotion. Once a promising athlete, Victor Stone was now enhanced even further by his technology—though nobody had called him by that name in a while, or even talked to him for that matter.

“Man, I only wanted some pizza,” he muttered to himself. “What is going on around here?” Creeping closer towards the sounds of explosions, he clenched his mechanical fists, preparing for battle.

“Waaahhhhhhhh!” Another boom, and the half robot saw a tiny green boy fly towards him, landing to his right. His processors had barely enough time to register the event when he saw a giant bus flying towards him. Snapping into action, he stopped the bus in its tracks, his newfound strength helping him push back against the weight of the vehicle.

“Yo! Who is messing up my neighborhood?!” he demanded, eyes darting around to survey the scene. He saw a costumed boy likely not much older than him, and on closer look, looked like Robin, the famous sidekick of Batman. An alien girl with metal clamps on her arms approached, her eyes glowing green.

“We could use all the help we got,” Robin remarked grimly, glancing over at him.

After coming to terms with the alien girl (with Raven’s help) and receiving the doomsday message from the Gordanians, the four soon-to-be Titans stood in a circle, each contemplating their own thoughts.

“You’re still going after her, aren’t you?” Cyborg piqued.

“Seems like she’s made some enemies,” Robin replied, punching his fist into his palm. “We should go find her. And help her.”

“So…does this mean we get to team up, sir?” Beast Boy asked, still starry-eyed at Robin. Robin smiled.

“I suppose I could, just this once,” he agreed. “But seriously, stop calling me sir.”

“Yes s—I mean, Robin,” Beast Boy saluted, straightening up.

“Come on, we’ve got a city to save.” Robin motioned for the others to follow. As Cyborg and Beast Boy jogged over to follow him, Raven let out a small sigh and put her hood up while turning the other way.

_None of them are like me,_ she told herself. _I’m a freak. The way they looked at me when I told them to talk to her…_

“Are you coming?” Robin asked, turning around. “We could really use your help. You’ve got some great powers.”

“I’m not the hero type,” Raven answered quietly. “And if you knew who I really was, you wouldn’t want me around either.” Robin came over and put a hand on her shoulder. Raven was hit with a slight shock, but it wasn’t disruptive. It was more like a sudden feeling of warmth. _Trust. Empathy. Loyalty._ Raven thought. _He has a big heart. Stubborn, but always genuine. Maybe this one time. Couldn’t hurt too much. Might as well find people you can trust._

“I know enough,” Robin reassured her. She gave a small smile and took his hand.

“I’m Beast Boy!” the small green shapeshifter leapt up, giving a wave. “We never finished introductions, dudes and dudette.”

“I’m Robin.” The Boy Wonder went next.

“I used to have a name,” Cyborg remarked wistfully. “Before everyone stopped talking to me, that is.”

“Didn’t you say you were a cyborg?” Beast Boy asked. “We can just call you that now!”

“Works for me,” Robin agreed, nodding. Cyborg shrugged.

“Alright, then. Cyborg it is. And what about you?” Cyborg asked, looking at the sorceress.

“I’m…Raven,” she said hesitantly. “It’s…good to meet you all.”

“No need to be shy,” Robin responded. “We’re all in this together.” The others nodded, and Raven allowed herself to relax a little. While she wasn’t as familiar with Cyborg and Beast Boy, she could tell Robin was a strong and capable leader already. Clearly, he’d been trained in both physical skills as well as all the intangibles needed to be a “hero”. Although Raven knew it was irrational, she found herself starting to believe that things would turn out okay after all.


	2. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team wonders what's next after settling down the city for now. Robin ponders his ongoing relationship, and Raven thinks about her future.

“Cyborg, heads up!” Robin shouted. The half-man, half-robot turned and jumped just in time to avoid the giant beam from Dr. Light’s pack.

“Attention won’t serve you well when you’re blind!” Dr. Light cackled loudly. “And with my new power source, there is no way you can overcome the brightness!” He flew up high, shooting beams at Starfire and Raven, most of the missing and hitting the skyscrapers behind them.

“Remember, make sure that no one gets hurt!” Robin commanded. Beast Boy, running beside him, vigorously nodded.

“You got it, chief!” He turned into a hawk and flew into the building, searching for people.

“Yo, lightbulb!” Cyborg called. Dr. Light turned and flew towards him, charging up a blast. Cyborg fired his sonic cannon and the two blasts collided. He strained under the pressure, and while Dr. Light was trying to win the battle Robin and Starfire made their move.

“You will not escape this time!” Starfire insisted, shooting lasers from her eyes. Dr. Light turned and fired a blast with his other hand, matching the green lasers.

“Let’s give you a taste of your own medicine,” Robin muttered, throwing a flash grenade. It exploded and the Titans covered their eyes momentarily. As the effects wore off, a series of beams hit each of the Titans, knocking them to the ground.

“Fools! You can’t hope to blind me!” Dr. Light laughed, as his suit illuminated a force field around him. “I am the master of light, the shining beacon to illuminate the world! You can’t outshine me! I am—” He was cut off mid-sentence by a giant piece of rubble slamming into him, bringing him to the ground as well.

“No matter what you do…” Raven started, floating down. “No matter where you go, and no matter how you try, you can’t conquer the darkness.”

“Those times are long gone!” Dr. Light proclaimed. “It is you who cannot hope to conquer the light! I will wash away every last bit of darkness!”

“Dudes, are y’all off your games?” Beast Boy suddenly appeared, joining the other Titans. “I saved everyone. What’s the holdup?”

“Dr. Light has a few new toys to keep us at bay,” Robin replied. “We could use your help. Titans, go!” Robin extended his staff and charged, while the others followed behind him.

“The Teen Titans are an ancient relic!” Dr. Light shouted, blasting Robin rapidly. The Boy Wonder tried to dodge all of the blasts, but eventually one hit him and he fell again, the wind knocked out of him. Beast Boy attacked as a tiger, only to meet the same fate. While Cyborg and Starfire charged up their cannon and starbolts, respectively, Raven flew towards Dr. Light with an eerie calmness.

“Yo, I don’t think we can take him!” Cyborg shouted. “He’s just too powerful! He’s beating us at our own game!”

“We…must…prevail!” Starfire grunted. Dr. Light cackled maniacally as the two Titans tried to match his power.

“Let’s finish this,” Raven said grimly. “Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos!” A giant black raven, her soul-self and purest form, emerged from her and sped towards Dr. Light. The mad scientist furiously shot his beams of light, but the raven simply dodged or absorbed them. It connected with him, briefly imbuing him with an aura of darkness. Raven yelled, and the black raven pummeled Dr. Light, sending him into the ground and creating a crater around him. Raven floated down and opened her eyes again to see Dr. Light laying on the ground, his equipment broken to bits.

“Surrender, Dr. Light,” Robin commanded. “You’re nothing without these,” he continued, holding up his broken pack.

“Never!” Dr. Light answered furiously. “And no matter what you do, I will not be scared this time!” he insisted, eyeing Raven.

“Wanna bet?” Raven murmured ominously, slowly striding up towards him. Her eyes started glowing white as she began to take her hood off. The rest of the Titans saw Dr. Light covered by Raven’s cloak, and after a few moments she released him. He was thoroughly drenched in sweat and shivering uncontrollably.

“L-l-lock me up,” he stuttered. “Do it!” he shouted, and Robin quickly cuffed him. “D-d-don’t…ever…let me out again. No more. No more. I won’t ever try to escape again. NO MORE!” he bellowed.

“Jeez,” Beast Boy remarked, casting a sideways glance at Raven. “What did you do to him?”

“None of your business,” came the terse response. “If you want, I can show you.” Beast Boy laughed nervously.

“I think I’ll pass.” Just then, the police came with an armored van. Jump City’s department always hid in the shadows, taking care of civilians and serving as backup while the Titans did their thing defeating supervillains, and their special supervillain force would always be punctual to clean up the mess afterwards.

“Thank you once again, Titans,” one of the guards said. “We’ll take it from here,” he continued, gesturing at two other officers dragging Dr. Light into the van.

“No problem, officer,” Robin replied.

“Whew, that took a lot out of me,” Cyborg said, rubbing his stomach. “Who wants pizza? Pizza Corner’s got a limited edition Supremely Supreme 16 inch this month!”

“Oh yes, me please!” Starfire jumped up, raising her hand. “Perhaps we could go on another of the ‘dates’ afterwards?” she asked innocently, getting close to Robin.

“Uh, maybe not today, Star,” Robin answered, brushing her off.

“Oh,” she said quietly. “Is there…something wrong?”

“What? No, nothing’s wrong,” Robin dismissed. He heaved another sigh internally. Yes, it had been a few months since he and Starfire had started their whole…relationship, if it could be called that. It mostly just consisted of them hanging out and doing the things they already did as friends. Robin liked Starfire as a friend, but he was beginning to wonder if he really wanted her as more than that. Explaining relationship culture was a whole new challenge and she tended to get hurt by the slightest things due to her overwhelming affection for him. This had been a particularly rough month, with old villains resurfacing, giving him even less time to work out his own personal problems. The truth was he just didn’t have time to be 100% committed to their relationship. He sometimes needed alone time too.

“Dude, you better make half of that veggies only,” Beast Boy insisted, ignoring their conversation.

“One fourth,” Cyborg countered. “I am starving today and I refuse to eat vegetarian pizza!”

“One third!” Beast Boy replied. “You think I’m gonna survive on four slices of pizza?!”

“A fourth of a 16 inch pizza is three slices,” Raven remarked sarcastically. “The one third you’re asking for is four slices.”

“What?!” Beast Boy exclaimed. “Even worse! I DEMAND one half!”

“How about you just ask for five twelfths of the pizza to be vegetarian,” Raven sighed.

“Uh, I don’t think most pizza places do that,” Cyborg muttered, scratching his head.

“Enough chatting,” Robin decided. “We’ll figure it out when we get there.” The Titans hopped in the T-Car and Cyborg gunned it, speeding off for the Pizza Corner.

“So, my dudes,” Beast Boy said coolly, kicking back. “You know, I’m bored. We keep fighting the same bad guys, over and over. It’s almost like they aren’t even trying!”

“Yeah, you seemed to have handled it pretty well today,” Raven replied.

“Oh wow, Raven,” Beast Boy mocked. “Not all of us can do some fancy dark magic tricks and make giant ravens in the air.”

“Quit bickering,” Robin ordered.

“You know, I’ve been thinking about something,” Cyborg wondered. “Isn’t Dr. Light the last villain loose on our list? The rest of them are still frozen or in jail.”

“Hmm, let me check,” Robin muttered, opening up his mini computer. “Master of Games, Blackfire, The Source, now Dr. Light. Even Control Freak is behind bars.”

“Did you make sure the Control Freak does not have access to the cables or electricity?” Starfire asked.

“Made sure of it. There’s no way he can possibly connect back into a TV. I personally visited the cell,” Robin answered. “I never thought I would say this, but everyone is out of commission for now.”

“Yahoo, dudes!” Beast Boy hollered. “This is great! We’re the best superhero team ever!”

“That’s crazy to think about,” Cyborg mused. “Everyone we’ve ever faced. Either 50 feet below the ground in the Arctic, still frozen, or here in custom designed cells that they can’t escape.”

“Well, almost everyone,” Robin said grimly.

“What do you mean?” Beast Boy asked, confused. “You said it was everyone on the list.”

“Slade,” Raven answered simply. She sensed a sudden jolt of fury in Robin, but it quickly subsided to a dull anxiety.

“Please,” Starfire begged. “The Slade is a powerful opponent, indeed. But he has not troubled us in months.”

“Doesn’t mean he’s not still out there, plotting his next move.” Robin grimaced and stared out the window.

“Aw, lighten up, man,” Cyborg reassured, patting Robin on the shoulder. “Come on, we’re almost to Pizza Corner. Let’s chow down now and celebrate. We can worry about other things later.” Robin shrugged and sighed. The Titans arrived at Pizza Corner and Cyborg and Beast Boy immediately sprinted inside, with the others following.

* * *

The Titans had several perks going for them in Jump City with their increased popularity both in the city and around the world after taking down the Brotherhood of Evil. For one, they now had their own table reserved on the balcony, and could not be bothered by fans while they ate if they wanted some privacy. Today was a particularly busy day at the parlor and the Titans groaned as they saw how packed the place was.

“Raven, did you bring the autographs?” Robin asked.

“Right here,” she replied, holding up a stack of papers. To expedite the fan process, the Titans had quickly figured out the most efficient ways to deal with their newfound fame. They had each signed a brief booklet that Cyborg put together detailing their backgrounds, achievements, and likes/dislikes. It was basically the perfect superfan must-have. Raven had then used her magic to copy each signature to all of the booklets, which they now carried around in case they ran into huge packs of people. This way, they avoided having to sign scrap paper, posters, and various body parts.

“Okay, everyone,” Raven announced. “We know you’re all excited to see us, but we’re just here to grab a bite and go. Here are your autographs you’re inevitably going to ask us for sooner or later. Some of you might even not be listening to me right now and ask us later, so just keep this message in your head when you think about doing that.” She distributed the autographs quickly with her powers, not focusing on how everyone was supposed to catch them, but rather that they got them in the first place.

“Hey, watch your aim,” Beast Boy scolded. “That one over there just landed in a pile of mozzarella!”

“Not my problem that they spilled it,” Raven said, shrugging. The team headed up to the balcony minus Cyborg, who was downstairs ordering. They took their usual seats around the table, awaiting the delectable pies. 15 minutes later, the freshly-baked pizza was placed in front of them. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire all dug in voraciously, while Raven ate more deliberately and Robin sat still, his mind distant.

“I want the last slice!” Cyborg declared, slamming his fist on the table.

“No way, me!” Beast Boy shouted. “It’s a vegetarian one anyway!”

“I should get the last slice!” Starfire added, gripping her bottle of mustard tightly in one hand. Raven sighed and looked down at her own plate, a single half-eaten slice sitting on it. Despite the many, many times they had all gone out for pizza, this fight still happened every time. She glanced over at Robin and noticed that his plate was still empty.

“How about we give Robin the last slice?” she suggested calmly. “He hasn’t eaten anything yet.”

“Huh?” Robin looked up, confused. “Oh, right. Sorry about that.” He sheepishly took the slice from the plate and had a bite. Raven glanced over at him again, sensing emotions swirling inside him.

“Uh, Raven? Are you gonna eat that?” Beast Boy asked, pointing at her plate.

“Probably. And this is a meat slice anyway,” Raven pointed out.

“I can pick it off,” Beast Boy offered. “And you should give me it anyway. You already said you don’t have to eat that much since you’re only half human and—”

“I already said I’m going to eat it,” Raven stated. “Go buy yourself another slice downstairs if you’re that hungry.”

“Okay, fine,” Beast Boy muttered, holding his hands up in the air. “Don’t have to be so serious all the time.” Raven rolled her eyes as he started to beg Cyborg for cash for another slice.

“Friend, would you like me to buy you another slice?” Starfire asked Robin.

“Uh, no thanks, Star,” Robin answered. “I’m not that hungry and I think we should save some money anyway,” he quickly added, making sure not to upset her.

“Oh. Well, we shall wait for you to finish.” Starfire turned her attention to Cyborg and Beast Boy bickering again, while Robin continued to take small nibbles of his lunch.

“Something bothering you?” Raven quipped suddenly. He looked over at her and then looked down.

“It’s nothing,” he said, taking another bite.

“It’s something,” she said softly. “You’re not in the right state of mind. I can feel it.”

“Don’t worry about me, Rae,” he said through chews. “My problems are mine.”

“As you wish.” Raven copied Robin in finishing up her lunch, but kept thinking about his issue. It wasn’t taking up the forefront of her mind, but it was a little thought that kept spinning somewhere in the back. She decided to store it away to contemplate later.

“You know, you’ve been pretty quiet too,” Robin remarked.

“You of all people should know that doesn’t mean anything.”

“I guess we’re both a little bit on edge today,” Robin laughed.

“This is who I am,” Raven answered, a little too literally. “You, on the other hand, are usually a lot more talkative than this.”

“You know me too well.”

“Of course,” Raven agreed, allowing a small smile. She always felt at ease around Robin. Whereas the others might sometimes take her dead seriousness the wrong way, Robin somehow always knew when the situation was important and when to brush it off.

“My friend who is a boy!” Starfire exclaimed, tugging on Robin’s arm. “It is a beautiful day. Let us have some fun at the park! We could play the fetching game or join them in a wondrous game of Stankball!”

“Alright, maybe for an hour,” Robin conceded. Raven followed the rest of them to the car and then to the city park.

“Good thing we got our bad guy encounter out of the way early,” Cyborg exclaimed. “Now we have the rest of the day to be as awesome as possible!”

“Remember what happened last time you tried to do too much in one day?” Beast Boy reminded him.

“Aw, chill out, BB,” Cyborg groaned. “I told you I’m over that. I just wanna play some catch and get these joints moving.” He dug out a football from the trunk and spun it in his hands.

“I shall join you in this game!” Starfire declared. “Robin, will you come play with us?”

“Of course,” Robin replied. He seemed to be in a better mood after downing some food and sitting for a little while. Starfire yelped in excitement and gave him a big hug and kiss on the cheek, almost crushing him. Once they separated, Robin turned to Raven.

“Will you be joining us?” he called. Raven shook her head.

“No, I need to meditate.”

“You can put off meditating for a few minutes. Have some fun with us.”

“Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. Dr. Light interrupted my morning routine. I need to meditate now.” Robin nodded in understanding and went off with the others, while Raven found a small enclosure of trees and started hovering off the ground, closing her eyes.

“Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…” she murmured repeatedly, naturally tuning out all the noise from the environment. “Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…” She felt further ahead today than she usually did. She was already relatively calm, and it didn’t seem like the meditation was improving her mental state significantly. _Maybe it’s what Robin said,_ she wondered. _No more fighting for now. It’s a new feeling._ No, that wasn’t it. To Raven, fighting didn’t provoke her emotions one way or another. It was just something that had to be done, and the only emotions she ever felt in the heat of battle were impatience to finish it off, or in grave situations, fury and justice for her friends. _Strange. There must be something new._ She had never felt this serene during her meditation just a few minutes in. She opened her eyes and turned towards the other Titans. They were arguing since it appeared that Starfire had thrown the ball too hard and it was now stuck in a tree a ways from them. She eyed the scene with relative indifference, but at the same time felt a small pang of warmth. _Friends, maybe?_ She asked herself. _No, that can’t be it. This isn’t anything new. They’ve always been my family._ In all reality, Raven had been experiencing this on a minor scale for a few months now, ever since they had returned from fighting the Brotherhood of Evil and were allowed to settle down again. She had felt calmer, felt her negative emotions like anxiety and annoyance lessen, and been even a little bit happier. She could show a little more emotion without losing control, and had increased her tolerance for Beast Boy’s antics and Starfire’s questions about Earth’s culture.

_You can control your own destiny now,_ Robin’s voice echoed in her mind. Her eyes widened. That was it!

“I can control my own destiny,” she whispered to herself. It was definitely something new. Her whole life, she lived in fear of the prophecy and her role in it. Everything she did, in the grand scheme of things, didn’t matter. But now, it did. _You have your whole life ahead of you,_ Robin’s voice echoed again. She nodded to herself. She hadn’t had time to contemplate it, what with them fighting around the globe shortly after vanquishing her father, but now things were more peaceful. _We’ll revisit this later,_ she decided, not wanting to risk losing control just now.

“Ewwwww,” Cyborg groaned as Beast Boy in dog form spat out the football at his feet. “You ruined my ball! Couldn’t you have turned into a hawk or something and just grabbed it?”

“Sorry, dude,” the shapeshifter replied. “Natural instinct.”

“I think that’s enough for today,” Robin decided. “Let’s head back home and get some good rest.”

“Agreed,” Starfire added. “Where is our friend Raven?”

“Right here,” Raven responded, walking up. “I’m finished too. Let’s go.” The heroes got back in the car and drove back the way of Titans Tower, crossing over their own special bridge that connected the island to the mainland. Cyborg parked the car, making sure to smooth out the minor scratches and chips in the paint job while the others headed up.

“Now there you go, baby,” Cyborg cooed, wiping down the last scratch. “All perfect and shiny. Ready for tomorrow like you’re new!”

* * *

It was late at night and everyone had retreated to their room. After arriving back, the Titans had all gone the way they usually did: Cyborg and Beast Boy going up for another round of video games, Raven reading on the couch next to them, and Starfire and Robin spending some time at the top of the tower. They played basketball for a little bit, Robin enjoying the time to relax. However, his mind was anything but peaceful. After dinner, the team winded down with a couple of episodes before as usual, conflict for the remote happened and everyone decided it was best to part ways. Robin was now training in the gym alone, lifting and practicing sparring.

Exerting physical energy hadn’t gotten the thoughts off his mind either. He sighed as he finished another bout with the punching bag, leaning against the wall and staring at the door. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he had never felt more conflicted about so many things. There was Slade to take care of. He had disappeared and there was no sound of him for a long time. Far too long in Robin’s opinion. No matter what anyone else said, as long as Slade was still walking the Earth, Robin couldn’t rest easy. It just wasn’t in his blood.

Then there was the Starfire issue. They had been doing just…friend things. Sure they hugged and kissed a lot, and for the first few weeks Robin had felt more bubbly than ever before. But now that high was starting to wear off, and Robin was worried about his…lack of feeling. It was nice to hang out, but he didn’t feel any different when they were doing fun things with the group as opposed to being alone. Starfire had been mostly oblivious to everything, and her feelings had not changed since that fateful day in Tokyo. Starfire was a feeler, while Robin was more of a thinker. Sure, he could make hotheaded decisions, but those were usually the result of lots of internal debate that he never told anyone about.

Robin punched and kicked at another bag, launching a flying kick to send it hurtling off its chain. There was a lot to worry about and he didn’t have answers…that was probably what he hated most. Robin always wanted to know that he was in control, whether it was taking down supervillains, communicating with other honorary Titans or doing simple housekeeping duties. _I’ll think about this tomorrow morning,_ he decided. _Maybe the sunrise will help me._ He picked up the bag and reattached it to its metallic chain, then turned off the lights and headed for his room, the worries and concerns still picking at him.


	3. Musings and a Flash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven dwells on her past for a bit longer, before discussing with her close friend what she should do next.

Raven’s eyes fluttered open half an hour before sunrise, like they did every morning. Countless hours of meditation meant she had much more control over her conscious and subconscious states. She had established the routine for most of her life, but what she did after waking up varied based on her mood. Sometimes she would stay in bed and get through a few more chapters of a book while the sun shined through her window, and other times she would head for the roof for a few moments of peace with the sunrise. As a night showerer and generally nighttime person, she didn’t take long to get ready and generally slept light as well.

The young sorceress, already dressed in her leotard, draped on her cloak, clipping it together with her communicator underneath. Slipping on her boots, she stopped for a moment to survey her room. Her living quarters were always neat, not because she cleaned often but because she didn’t have many possessions to begin with. _It is a little dark in here, even for me,_ she mused. _Maybe now that I have some time I should redecorate…just a little bit._ Exiting, she headed for the rooftop, determined to spend some more time turning over the dilemmas she had stored away the night before.

It was a clear, albeit slightly chilly, morning in Jump City. Raven walked towards the end and sat down, draping her legs over the edge. There was first the matter of her emotions and what was causing the change in them. And to resolve it, she’d have to trace it back to the biggest day of her life.

“I’m definitely gonna regret this,” she murmured to herself, as she braced for the flashbacks. Being consumed…falling down endlessly as the light above grew smaller…waking up in an eternal hell. She grimaced, opening her eyes again. This was what she was destined for, since birth. Everyone feared or worried about her, and over time she resorted to being reluctantly accepting of her fate. That is, until it started to become more and more of a reality. The small glimmer of hope she still held onto, until it was crushed once more. But then…

She opened her eyes, stroking her chin. Until someone, that stubborn, almost comically brave someone, had held onto hope for her.

_I guess…I’ll just have to have enough hope for the two of us._

_Hope is a powerful feeling,_ she thought wistfully. And from that strand, she took control of her destiny. She thought back to that final moment, when she felt…no, when she knew she was taking her life back.

_What do I need to feel Starbolts?_

_Righteous fury!_

Righteous fury indeed, she thought with a wry smile. _Maybe sometimes, letting go of your emotions isn’t so bad._ She thought back to her conversation with Beast Boy.

 _Having that thing inside of you doesn’t make you bad. Knowing when to release it…that’s what makes you a man._ Interesting. Maybe she could utilize some of her own advice. _My powers are controlled by my emotions, but maybe if I learn to loosen up just a little…it’ll help me even more._ Perhaps that was why she felt calmer. Not only was she free of her curse, but she also knew now that her emotions could be used for good things. Her friends certainly hadn’t minded her stoic, dry nature before, as much minor friction as it caused. They were always asking her to join in “fun” things. And she had to admit, that supposed last day was a bit more enjoyable for her than she had expected.

_He’s green, half of me is metal, and she’s from space. You fit in just fine._

“Come here often?” a voice behind her came. She turned around to see none other than the Boy Wonder, striding up to her spot on the edge.

“Not at all,” she remarked with her usual dryness. “Would’ve never expected to see you here.”

“It’s a popular place,” he replied. “You’ll need a reservation soon.” She rolled her eyes as he took a seat next to her on the edge. The two of them often ran into each other, either late at night or early in the morning. As the two thinkers of the group, they often squeezed out odd hours for alone time. Raven never thought much of it, as it felt natural to be near Robin, even in complete silence. Likewise, Robin felt the same since Raven was never the talkative type to begin with.

“Don’t you ever get tired of sunrise?” she asked.

“Not particularly,” he responded. “That’d be like saying if you ever got tired of meditating.”

“Way different,” she snorted. “Unless I suppose you’ve invented some new solar-powered gadget.”

“It has a calming effect. Gives me time to reflect. To contemplate.” He gazed at the ocean, the rays from the sun reflecting off the water and brightening the bay.

“Reflect on what?” Raven asked. Robin furrowed his brow.

“It’s nothing.”

“If it’s about Slade, we’ve had this conversation before.” She put her hand on his shoulder, while he continued looking down.

“Partly.”

“Are you going to tell me the other part?”

“I don’t really feel like talking about it,” he muttered, brushing her shoulder off.

“You know,” she said, gazing into the distance, “You remind me of someone familiar.”

“Who would that be?”

“Myself.”

“Charming,” he sighed, folding his arms. “What’s your point?”

“My point is it’s probably a bad sign if I’m the one telling you to open up.”

“I don’t know if you’re the right person to talk to,” he admitted. “It’s not anything against you. It’s just…an awkward situation. I don’t know that I’d be comfortable talking to anyone here about it.”

“It’s about Starfire, isn’t it?” Robin looked up in shock, staring at Raven’s ever-stoic facial expression.

“How do you know?”

“Your emotions are going crazy. Didn’t you ever get trained how to not reveal something like that?” Raven immediately regretted adding the last part, but relaxed when he gave a small smile.

“You know I’m not lying when I say you know me better than anyone.”

“Likewise to you.”

“I don’t know if you’ll be able to do anything. It won’t bother me if you can’t. It might help me to get this off my chest though.” He frowned and looked up to meet her expectant violet eyes.

“I’m not a relationship counselor, so you got that part right.”

“Thanks for doing this, Raven.”

“Just get on with it.”

After spending a few minutes briefly describing his feelings, he gazed at Raven to see her reaction. She was looking into space, probably deep in thought. He waited a few minutes for her to finish processing everything, as he knew she often did. Above them, the sun was fully above the horizon, washing the bay in light.

“I understand how you came to feel like this,” she said finally. “And you’re right. I’m not quite sure what to do. But whatever you decide to end up doing, don’t rush it. That’s the best help I can give you.”

“I know,” he replied. “And I’m confused. I can fight villains, save the world, overthrow a whole organization of evil. But I don’t know what to do right now.”

“Patience,” she said simply. “You’ll know what to do when the time is right.”

“Always the serious one,” he chuckled. “Thanks for listening, Rae.”

“Maybe you should take some time off. Stop thinking about everything.”

“Not gonna happen,” he said, shaking his head. “As long as Slade is out there, I need to be on guard.”

“You can take _a day_ off,” she insisted.

“Since when have you been the endorser of fun?” he said, smirking. She stopped and took a step back, blushing a little.

“I-I’m worried about you, Robin. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.” He stepped towards her and looked into her eyes.

“I’ll be fine. You’re always here and you understand me the best.” She smiled at him and they both felt at ease, if only momentarily.

“We’ve overstayed our sunrise. It’s time to start the day,” he decided, going back towards the door.

“Wait,” she called after him, stopping him in his tracks. “Before you leave. I had…a question for you.”

“Sure. What is it?” he asked, turning around.

“Uh…um…” she looked away momentarily, before composing herself. “Sometime…could you maybe teach me…how to you know, talk to people?”

“Talk…to people?” he said with a quizzical expression.

“Like people you don’t know,” she clarified. “How to talk to them. Sorry for asking.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” he quickly reassured her. “Come find me sometime today. I can give you a few pointers, although I’m not as good as Cyborg.”

“I’d rather learn from you, if that’s okay.”

“It’s a deal then.”

* * *

After Cyborg cooked up a big continental breakfast, the Titans again departed for their own endeavors. Beast Boy and Cyborg hopped on the couch for another round of Smash Bros, while Starfire tried and failed to convince Robin to go shopping with her (he promised her time in the afternoon), resorting to exploring the many intricacies of social media on her newly-bought laptop. Robin had gone outside to do some more training, and Raven retreated to her room.

Raven removed her communicator from under her cloak and opened it, initiating a call. It’d been three months since they had taken down the Brotherhood of Evil, and while Raven wasn’t usually one to get sentimental, she felt a certain attachment to some friends she had made on the Titans’ worldwide journey.

“Who’s calling this late at night? It’s past Bobby’s bedtime,” a squeaky voice answered.

“I hope I’m not bothering you guys,” Raven answered, smiling. “Just checking on you all. Are you staying out of trouble?”

“Raven!” Melvin exclaimed. She was quickly joined on the other end by Timmy and Teether. “Boy, are we excited to see you.”

“And I’m excited to see my kids as well,” she said, grinning widely for what seemed like the first time in forever. “What have you all been up to?”

“We’ve been staying at the monastery,” Melvin replied. “The monks are really nice here. They feed Bobby lots of tasty food.” In the background, two brown legs appeared behind the three children.

“That’s great to hear,” Raven said. “And you all are getting along okay?” As if on cue, she saw Teether take a huge chomp into Timmy’s blanket, who then started screaming at the top of his lungs. Melvin yelled at them to stop and Raven sighed, shaking her head.

“Kids!” Raven snapped. All three stopped fighting and turned to face her. “Behave yourselves.”

“Sorry, Raven,” Melvin apologized. “It won’t happen again, trust me.” She yawned and her eyelids started to droop. “It’s getting late here. They’re both tired.”

“Got it,” she responded. “Sorry for keeping you up late. I’ll call you some other time when it’s easier. Let me know if you need anything, okay?”

“You got it!” Melvin answered, holding up a big thumbs up. “We’re all gonna go to bed soon. You know, you’re kind of like a mom. Thanks for taking care of us!” The screen went black and Raven raised an eyebrow.

“I am not a mom.”

* * *

“And then my K’Norfka said, that cannot possibly be a Throknar! Hahaha!”

“Uh, that’s great, Star.” Robin sighed as they walked along the street to the mall. Robin had promised her more time, and tried to keep an open mind still about their relationship. Maybe it wasn’t all that bad. But he was starting to realize they didn’t have that much in common. She was an alien with a lovable immaturity and emotions-on-the-sleeves type of personality. He was a righteous, borderline-obsessive crime-fighter dedicated to his craft, with a chill teenager demeanor in the few moments he could afford to relax.

“You do not find my joke…amusing?” Starfire asked, concerned yet again.

“You…didn’t quite explain to me what all the Tamaranian meant,” he quickly replied. “If you did, I’m sure I would’ve found it funny.”

“Oh, of course! How foolish of me!” Starfire exclaimed, hugging Robin and unknowingly depriving him of air. He patted Starfire’s back rapidly, indicating he wanted out, and she released him.

“So, uh, what are we shopping for?” he asked as they entered the mall.

“I have watched the moving pictures on the computer, and I am ready to try this ‘makeup’ by myself!” Starfire declared, dragging him into a cosmetics store.

“Uh, I’ll wait outside,” he said, letting go of her hand. “I don’t think I’m much use to you here.”

“Very well. I shall be quick!”

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Tower, Cyborg was whipping up dinner. He had grown tired of eating takeout the past few days and wanted to try some new recipes. Raven watched with mild interest as he hopped from stove to sink to fridge, juggling many utensils and dishes at once.

“So what do you have cooking in the oven?”

“It’s my world-famous, CyBQ sauce slathered, baby back ribs!” he exclaimed. “Art takes time. I’ve been working on this since this morning.”

“Interesting,” Raven muttered. “And what about the pans you have going there?”

“That’s spaghetti, shrimp, and my soul-friendly chicken noodle soup!” Cyborg explained excitedly. He opened up the oven, taking a whiff of the ribs and grinned widely.

“These are some interesting recipes,” Raven mused, flipping through the cookbook.

“Cookbooks are for amateurs,” Cyborg declared. “I’ll use the ingredients, but real cooking—” He paused, clearing his throat. “—is made with the special love of the chef!”

“I don’t suppose cars are made the same way either?”

“How did you know?” Cyborg turned around, seeming genuinely surprised.

“Just a wild hunch,” Raven muttered, shrugging sarcastically. She flipped the page and found a recipe that interested her. “How about this fruitcake for dessert?”

“Don’t have time to make it. Plus I’ve already got dessert planned. Maybe tomorrow.”

“I could try.”

“Oh no you don’t,” Cyborg said, wagging his finger. “Do you remember what happened the last time you tried to cook?”

“The end of the world?”

“Uh, well…that, but what else?!” Cyborg demanded. Raven shrugged.

“The pancakes looked fine to me.”

“That’s because you didn’t eat any of them!”

“It was kind of an improvised thing. I’ll do better this time. I’ll read the instructions.”

“Eh, I suppose,” Cyborg conceded. “You can try tomorrow. But I’ll be taste-checking every step of the way!”

“Works for me,” Raven said, nodding.

“But you’ll have to wait until I finish up with my baby first.”

“Cyborg, is it really necessary to wax the T-Car _every day?_ ” Cyborg turned around with an exasperated expression on his face.

“You don’t understand, Rae! My baby is top of the line. If I ever sold her commercially—which I never will, by the way—she’d easily go for over 100 million dollars.”

“Whatever you say. Just let me know if you need help building a new one if this one gets blown to bits.”

“It’s not getting blown up,” he said indignantly. “I’ve installed all the latest armor. My baby is protected better than this tower is.”

“What’s cooking, my dudes?” Beast Boy emerged from the stairs, sniffing the air dramatically. “Wait…you’re making ribs, aren’t you?” Cyborg nodded and Beast Boy started to look a little sick. “Ew. I’ll stick to my tofu dogs.”

“Yum!” the three Titans had barely enough time to turn around before a bright blur made a lap around the main room and stopped in front of them. When they lowered their arms from blocking the wind, they saw none other than a boy in a bright yellow and red jumpsuit with a big grin.

“Dude, we told you to stop doing that!” Beast Boy yelled.

“Yeah, there’s a doorbell for a reason!” Cyborg added. “Stop dropping in like this!”

“Chill out guys,” Kid Flash responded, raising his hands. “I smelled great cooking. And I need a place to hang out for a little bit.”

“What did you do this time?” Raven asked, folding her arms.

“I beat Mas y Menos in another race. I’m on a four race winning streak now. I’m not exactly someone they want to see right now.”

Raven smirked. “There’s gotta be more to it than that.” Kid Flash looked at her innocently.

“I swear, guys, I didn’t do anything.” Cyborg raised his eyebrow and Beast Boy stared at him. “Okay, okay, so I might have tied their fingers together while they were charging up. But it’s their fault for falling for it!”

“You’re a real riot,” Cyborg said, shaking his head. “Nice of you to drop by, but you gotta go now.”

“Aw, but I just got here!” Kid Flash protested. He disappeared again and reappeared with a rib in his hand.

“Hey!” Cyborg roared. “That’s not—”

“Too late, you can have seconds,” Kid Flash interrupted, taking a big bite. He immediately turned pale and spat it out.

“—done.” Beast Boy snickered as Kid Flash ran to the sink, filling his mouth with water.

“How Jinx converted and found _him,_ the world will never know,” Raven remarked.

“You sure you don’t wanna donate some of this equipment to me?” Kid Flash asked, reappearing. “I mean, I’m sure you’ve got a new shipment of chips coming in tomorrow or something. By the way, where are Robin and Starfire? On a date?”

“I don’t know if anyone knows, actually,” Cyborg said, scratching his head.

“This tech is awesome!” Kid Flash commented, holding up a hard drive from the main computer as the three Titans stared in horror.

“Dude, just get out already. I’m tired watching you run around,” Beast Boy muttered.

“Nice to know I’m welcome around here too.”

“You’re always welcome,” Raven said suddenly. “Just don’t drop in on us like this anymore. Let us know ahead of time.”

“Will do,” Kid Flash responded, saluting. “Let me know next time you’re having ribs!” And with that, he sped out of the tower.

“Raven being welcoming?” Beast Boy asked, confused. “Is there some second prophecy you didn’t tell us about?”

“No second prophecy,” Raven stated. “Can’t I be…welcoming?” Cyborg and Beast Boy looked at each other, and decided to drop the issue for now. They smiled at her and Cyborg went back to cooking while Beast Boy hopped on the couch to watch TV. Raven sighed and brewed herself some herbal tea, then went back to her room to meditate.

After accompanying Starfire on their trip to the mall, Robin breathed a sigh of relief as she decided they were done in town for the day. They came back to a delicious feast cooked by Cyborg and dug in ravenously, Starfire slathering all of her food with mustard. Afterwards, the Titans decided to watch the new Fast and Furious movie that Cyborg had specially ordered for their TV, during which Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were transfixed to the screen, Starfire captivated by just the parts with big explosions and Raven rolling her eyes throughout. Once the movie ended, Beast Boy promptly retreated to get some sleep, Cyborg initiated lockdown and went to sleep as well, and after Robin gave Starfire a goodnight kiss, he stayed in the main room with Raven. Raven poured herself another mug of tea and started reading again, while Robin gazed at the bay through the giant glass windows.

“So how was your day?” Robin asked, turning around. Raven glanced up from her book.

“Fine. Kid Flash dropped in again. What about you?”

“Eh.” He walked over and took a seat on the couch a few feet away from her. “Starfire discovered makeup. So that was interesting.” He was slightly surprised to hear a chuckle out of Raven.

“Must have been the time of your life.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted some pointers on how to talk to people?” Robin realized, almost forgetting that he made the promise at sunrise.

“Oh, uh, yeah…if you’re not too busy right now.”

“It’s just us two, Rae,” Robin laughed. “I’m happy to teach you.”

“Right. Well, what do you start with?”

“Hmm. I suppose we could…” Robin trailed off, thinking. “I know! Let’s pretend we’ve never met before. We can keep the same names. What are you going to say in this situation?” He extended his hand and Raven reluctantly took it, shaking it.

“I’m Raven.”

“And I’m Robin. Nice to meet you.” He let go of her hand. “Where are you from?”

“A parallel dimension called Azarath.” Robin frowned.

“Not like that.”

“What? I’m telling the truth.”

“Yeah, but—” Robin hesitated.

“But what?” Raven asked impatiently.

“You don’t have to be so—black and white, sometimes. Especially when you’re meeting new people. You could say something like, I’m not originally from here, but I live here in Titans Tower now.”

“Whatever.”

“Let’s try again?” Robin asked, extending his hand. Raven took it once more, and they began.

“I’m not originally from here, but I—I live here now.”

“That’s cool. I’m not from here either. I come from the East. So what are you doing here?”

 _I fight supervillains and monsters to keep people safe,_ Raven thought, but she knew Robin would get upset if she said that. “I—I’m here just to, you know, help out with the police force. They could use somebody with my—powers.”

“That’s great! I’m actually here to do that too.” The two talked for a few more minutes before Robin decided to break character.

“There, you see? Not that hard,” he encouraged. Raven shrugged, per usual.

“Sometimes I wanna claw my eyes out with what I say.”

“That’s not uncommon,” Robin replied. “But that’s the basic gist of it. Just be polite, don’t be blunt, and if all else fails, talk about the weather.” Raven nodded in understanding.

“Thanks, Robin.”

“No problem. Why were you wondering about this? If you don’t mind me asking.” She shifted a little at his words, but then turned to face him.

“I…don’t really know how to explain this.”

“You can try.” He scooted closer to her on the couch. “You were there for me. I’ll be here for you.”

“I don’t know what to do anymore. That’s the simplest way I can put it.”

“What to do with what?”

“You know…” she trailed off. Robin nodded.

“Your emotions?” he asked. Raven looked up.

“How did you—”

“I know how hard it was for you to go through that. I know why you kept it from us. It’s always been like that for you, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” she murmured. “Always worried. Always having to keep everything to myself. Living in fear.”

“Your father is gone now,” he said. “We beat the odds. We did the impossible.”

“You don’t get it,” she sighed, shaking her head. “Even if he’s gone, he’ll always be part of me. He just makes the worst parts of me that much more evil.”

“Maybe. But that doesn’t mean you need to think about him anymore,” Robin surmised. “You don’t have to do some drastic change of yourself to free yourself. You just have to focus on what makes you special.” He watched as the empath went deep into thought yet again, and sat for a few moments in silence.

“You’re right. I don’t have to live with this burden anymore,” she realized. “I can…have a life. Try new things.”

“And make new friends by talking to them,” Robin joked. “You should definitely explore. Go out into the city more. Maybe play video games with us sometime.”

“I’m not wasting time on video games,” came the sharp reply.

“Some things never change.” Robin stood up and looked at the windows, a bit of night rain starting to splash against the glass. “It’s getting late. I’m going to go get some rest.”

“I’ll stay up. I don’t need that much sleep anyway.”

“Alright, just don’t wear yourself out.”

“Robin?” Raven called out.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you,” she said, giving him a small smile.

“No. Thank _you,_ ” he said, and disappeared into the hallway. Raven thought about his words. It was true that she had already began trying new things. After their talk in the morning, she had made a promise to herself to pay more attention to her friends, to be more open, and to generally just relax. In truth, her meditation sessions were getting shorter and shorter, since the turmoil that stormed inside her for so long was beginning to calm. It was more of her own conscious worrying that caused stress now. She hovered over to the counter, pouring the last of the tea. Taking a sip, she gazed out the window. The rain had stayed at a constant drizzle, and a small crescent moon illuminated the bay. She turned her palms upward, looking at her hands and wrists. No red symbols. No burning sensation. And there weren’t any to come, either. She saw her own reflection in the glass, the normally bland expression staring back at her. But there was something different about it. It seemed a little more free. A little more peaceful. A little more hopeful. Drinking the last of the tea, she put her hood up and walked back to the stairs. She took one last look behind her at the moon, then closed the door.


	4. Lucky Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Robin and Starfire become more strained, Raven finds herself as a mediator. Meanwhile, she also draws the short end of the stick in having to get a job to support the team's finances.

“Come, friends! I have made my delicious traditional Tamaranian pie for breakfast!”

“Uh, Star, it’s nice of you to do that, but I think we’ll all pass,” Robin said nervously, glancing back at the other Titans for reassurance. They all nodded in agreement. None of them tried to stop Starfire from cooking when she felt like it, given that they knew she was a sensitive person, but they always had to come up with ingenious excuses to get out of it.

“Oh, but my friend who is a boy, you must try! As friend Cyborg says, the best cooking is made with love!” Starfire exclaimed, twirling and placing a plate in front of Robin.

“Uh, okay,” Robin hesitantly agreed. He heard Cyborg and Beast Boy snicker as he looked down at the likely vomit-inducing creation. He took a fork and cautiously prodded it, swallowing hard. Finally, he mustered the courage to take a bite and almost immediately regretted it. It was overly soft on the outside but had a hard crunch on the inside; he tasted a combination of salty and sour flavors and a little bit of mystery juice. It took the Boy Wonder every ounce of willpower to not spit the pie out immediately.

“So? Do you like it?” Starfire asked cheerily.

“It’s…fantastic,” he lied. Starfire’s eyes lit up and she cut another few slices.

“Oh yes, then please have some more!” she said with a huge smile, heaping more onto Robin’s plate. Robin gritted his teeth and almost pounded the table with his fist before holding back at the last moment.

“Seems like you’re not doing a very good job of following your own advice,” Raven remarked smugly, as Starfire hummed some Tamaranian lullaby and made more pie. Meanwhile, Beast Boy cooked up some more tofu eggs on the stovetop and Cyborg pulled out an enormous box of cereal, bowl, and milk.

“I’d rather eat your pancakes than have another bite of that,” he said quietly enough so that Starfire couldn’t hear.

“My cooking has gotten better,” Raven replied indignantly, and frowned. “Wasn’t my fruitcake the other night pretty good?”

“It’s improved, I guess.”

“You’re not a very good liar. The others enjoyed it, at least.”

“I have high standards,” Robin chuckled.

“Or you have standards so low you can’t appreciate real cooking,” Raven shot back, clearly unamused.

“Why are you taking so much offense to cooking? I’m just joking.” Robin smirked, knowing he had played the trump card. Raven blushed and let out a humph, getting up to brew some more tea.

As the violet-haired girl poured herself a cup of hibiscus tea, she found herself thinking about what Robin said. Why had she snapped? Usually when she grew weary of insults it was from Beast Boy’s idiotic jokes. And she could usually pick up on when Robin was joking. For some reason, she felt the most annoyed at Robin’s fruitcake comment. Maybe she was hurt because she thought he wasn’t impressed? Raven scolded herself for being so immature. Why did she care so much about this one little thing?

 _Someone’s in looooooooove,_ a mischievous voice inside her sang. Her eyes went wide and she could see Beast Boy’s mouth moving and waving at her, although she wasn’t registering what he was saying.

 _What are you talking about?_ She snapped at the voice. _Don’t make up such impossible shit._

 _It’s true,_ the voice sang back. _Little Raven wants nothing more than to show her man she’s capable of everything. She’s mad at herself since she’s not living up to his_ high _expectations._

_Don’t make me lock you away._

“Raven? Earth to Raven? Hello?” Beast Boy’s incessant whining brought her back to reality.

“What?” she said with her usual coldness.

“You’ve, um, kind of been standing there for a while now,” Beast Boy pointed out. She looked at her team, all seated and staring at her. Raven quickly put her hood up to hide her blush.

“I think I need to go meditate,” she said quickly, and exited. The Titans looked at each other confusedly.

“Heard Robin say something mean to her,” Cyborg remarked.

“I was joking!” he protested. “I didn’t know she would take it so seriously. I’ll go apologize later.”

“Please, Robin,” Starfire interrupted. “You have not touched the pie in over five minutes. Is there something wrong?”

“Uh, I’m just not very hungry,” he lied again. He expected Starfire to nod in understanding, but she instead folded her arms and glared.

“That is what you always say when you do not like my dishes.”

“What? No it’s not!” Robin exclaimed.

“From the crown to the roaches to the pie, you have refused to eat any of it!” she roared. Out of the corner of his eye, Robin spotted Cyborg and Beast Boy inching closer to the edge of the table to escape the oncoming firestorm.

“Uh, listen, Star,” Robin began. “I’m just a—bit of a picky eater, that’s all. Nothing against your cooking.”

“Every time you try something, I notice your face turning green like the swamp monsters of my home world.”

“Star, I promise it’s nothing like—”

“Humph!” Starfire grunted as she snatched Robin’s plate and turned away from him, gobbling down the rest of it herself. She then threw the plate into the sink, narrowly missing Robin’s head as he heard a loud crack in the sink. She quickly flew to the doors and he tried to follow, but they closed shut right as she flew through. He sighed.

“Aliens.”

* * *

Raven’s emotions had gotten better after meditating. She still couldn’t shake what the voice had told her, although she had reduced it to a trivial nag in her mind rather than a distracting voice. _It’s probably just an effect of the bond. Nothing too exciting,_ she told herself. She opened one of her old fantasy novels, akin to the book she had accidentally released Malchior from. _Hopefully this one doesn’t also have some smooth-talking psychotic dragon stored within its pages._ She had just picked it up in the underground section of her favorite bookstore a week ago, the section that she and very few other people, mostly amateur dabblers in dark magic, dared to venture into. She handled the old pages carefully as she flipped to the first chapter. The book started with a prologue about a wizard’s grandest battle against a witch created from the darkest elements of the Earth. Although the wizard won, the price he paid was in his dreams and spells. The witch had cursed him with her dying breaths, and he was eternally haunted by her cackling voice. He cast spells that turned to dark magic for no reason, driving him even more insane as he couldn’t control his power. The wizard searched endlessly in his spellbooks and turned to mentors, but none could help. Then, he discovered…

There was a sharp knock at the door and Raven reluctantly shut the book, getting up from her bed. She slid the door open and none other than the Boy Wonder stood there, shuffling his feet a little.

“Uh, I’ve been working on something and I’ve called a team meeting. We’re all gonna meet in a few minutes.”

“Is it about trouble?” Raven asked, concerned.

“Not about fighting. It just concerns our…living situation,” he said uncomfortably. Raven raised an eyebrow but didn’t question it.

“Alright, I’ll be down there.”

“Raven?” Robin asked hesitantly.

“Yes?”

“If you have a moment after, could I maybe…talk to you about what happened at breakfast?”

“It’s not a big deal, Robin. Really,” Raven sighed. “It’s my fault. But we can still talk if you want.”

“That sounds great,” he said, smiling.

The Titans gathered on the couch as Robin turned on the screen. Starfire seemed to have recovered from the argument with Robin, although she was still staring at him with a little bit of resentment. Robin pulled up a map of the city and began speaking.

“So, as you all know, the city pays us based on the services we provide them,” he started. “Mainly, we dispose of all the supervillains they can’t handle. We get paid by the villain. The worse the villain the more they give us. That’s how we can afford everything in here as well as all of our other necessities.”

“Go on,” Raven urged.

“Since it’s been dead around here lately, with _mostly_ every villain or monster behind bars and no breakouts, we obviously haven’t had a steady stream of income anymore.”

“Big deal, dude,” Beast Boy yawned. “Don’t we have tons saved up? Didn’t you swindle a lot of money from Gotham?”

“The type of stuff we’re buying costs a lot of money. Tower upgrades, all our tech, maintenance stuff. Some of that we can’t avoid, but others we could stand to cut down on. Cyborg, do we really need the T-Car to have nitro fuel?”

“Don’t you dare hurt my baby!” Cyborg threatened.

“I’m not saying we need to tear it apart, but maybe it’s time you took a break from upgrading,” Robin suggested. “And same with other stuff. We’ve been pretty wasteful with our money. But that’s only one part of it.”

“What is the other part?” Starfire asked, piqued by curiosity.

“Seeing as how we likely won’t be paid any more than this, we’re going to have to find a source of income, however small it may be,” Robin declared. “I’ll try to work out a deal with the city, but in the meantime, as you all have noticed, there’s not much for us to do around here with everyone locked up or frozen. That’s why, I’m proposing that one of us gets a part-time job.”

As soon as Robin made the announcement, he braced for the reactions. He looked around at their faces. Cyborg was thinking about whether he would hate or love it, Beast Boy was looking at him in horror, Starfire surprisingly neutral, and Raven was staring daggers into him.

“I know it’s not the most glorious thing to do. But we are teens, after all, and most people like us have jobs. It’ll probably only be a temporary thing until I get something worked out. But it’s better to be safe and start early.”

“No way, dude,” Beast Boy said, waving his arms in front of him. “I don’t trust working anymore. My first job was my last.”

“Maybe you should work, since you look the least freaky out of all of us,” Cyborg suggested. They started bickering amongst themselves, and Robin sighed.

“Enough! We’ll determine this the simple way. Let’s draw straws,” he decided. He pulled out a box of plastic straws from a drawer in the kitchen and cut up five of them. “Whoever draws the shortest one will have to get a job first. But that doesn’t exclude the rest of us from maybe getting one later.” He shuffled the straws and then covered them with both hands, making sure only the ends were sticking out.

“How does this drawing game work?” Starfire asked.

“We each draw one, and whoever gets left with the shortest has to go,” Cyborg explained. “But we can’t tell how long they are right now since only the ends are sticking out.” The half-machine went first and took the middle straw out of Robin’s hands. Beast Boy went next, followed by Starfire and Raven. Finally, Robin was left with the last one.

“Yahoo! This is definitely the longest one, dudes and dudettes,” Beast Boy proclaimed, holding up his straw.

“Let’s compare,” Robin said. They all held theirs up, examining each others.

“It appears friend Raven has drawn the shortest one,” Starfire observed. The other Titans looked around and came to the same conclusion.

“Looks like you’ll have to get a job first, Raven,” Robin said. She looked around at the other straws, gritting her teeth.

“Please tell me I didn’t draw the shortest one,” she begged.

“Nope. I drew the second shortest,” Cyborg said, comparing his to hers. He motioned towards the computer. “Get to work searching, Rae,” he snickered. Raven glared at him and then towards the others.

“You can’t be serious,” she groaned.

Raven spent the afternoon grumpily searching for and applying to jobs. She first spent a few hours figuring out how to put together a resume, before scrapping that idea and just putting “Teen Titan—call communicator for further information” on the application. “Teen Titan” spoke for itself, anyway. She sighed to herself for what seemed like the millionth time. Behind her, Beast Boy was throwing a tantrum after Cyborg had beaten him for the fifth time on Super Smash Bros. Starfire had watched with interest, and the two frequent gamers had taught her the controls. Although she hadn’t won a match yet, she was slowly but steadily improving.

“How goes the job search?” a voice behind her came. Raven spun around to see Robin striding up.

“Absolutely fantastic,” she drawled. “I am so excited to spend my days serving some idiots at a grocery store or scrubbing toilets.”

“Come on, it won’t be that bad,” Robin reassured her. She glared at him once more, and he eased off. “Okay, so it’s a menial job. But you’re doing us a favor, and I appreciate it.”

“I didn’t volunteer to do it.”

“I’m sorry you got picked,” Robin apologized. “Luck of the draw.” Raven scowled and went back to her job search, while Robin stood awkwardly for a few seconds. “Uh, Rae?” he asked tentatively. She looked up. “Do you maybe have time to talk right now?”

“Anything for the Boy Wonder,” she muttered.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” he backtracked. “I’m not gonna force you to do anything you don’t want to.”

“You’re funny,” she snorted. “But I’ll come. It beats getting more depressed every second I scroll through this job catalog.” She followed him as he opened the door to the rooftop.

“Robin?” Starfire called out. “Where are you going?”

“I have to…discuss something important with Raven,” he responded. “I’ll be right back.” He quickly ushered Raven into the stairway and slid the doors shut to not have to deal with any more Starfire questions. They walked to their favorite spot on the rooftop, where the late afternoon sun, slightly obscured by clouds, lit the bay up with bright rays.

“So? What did you want to talk about?” Raven asked quizzically.

“I wanted to apologize for this morning,” Robin began. “I know I was joking, but I really offended you and didn’t mean to—”

“Robin, I already told you it’s fine,” she cut him off. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have overreacted. That was out of character for me.”

“It’s not okay to joke like that,” Robin insisted. “I’m sorry, Rae. To tell you the truth, I really did enjoy the cake and—”

“Robin,” she said sharply, cutting him off once more. “This is roommate stuff. I’ve gotten over it. You should too.”

“If you say so,” Robin mumbled. “Well, it won’t happen again. I promise.”

“I know,” she said, nodding. She detected a brief point of relaxation from him, but it quickly subsided to produce more anxiety. “Is something else bothering you?”

“Uh, not really,” he said distractedly.

“You’re really not a good liar,” Raven chuckled. “You can’t fool me, Boy Blunder. Tell me what’s going on.”

“We had a bit of a spat this morning,” Robin conceded. “She figured out I didn’t like her cooking.”

“And she reacted by blowing up at you?”

“Pretty much.”

“And you’re apologizing to me before you apologize to her?” Raven pointed out, raising an eyebrow. “You sure have your priorities straight.”

“Uh, well…” Robin stammered as he tried to find words. “Well, I mean—”

“She’s your _girlfriend,_ Robin,” Raven said sternly. “You owe it to her to give a proper explanation and apology.”

“I was more worried about you,” he said quietly. Raven’s eyes widened. “We’ve always gone to great lengths to help Starfire adjust. She’s the alien and she needs help figuring out life here. I know you haven’t always felt welcome and you feel like no one understands you. That’s why I’ve been so worried about your feelings.”

“I can handle myself,” Raven said, quickly regaining her composure. “Although I appreciate the—concern.”

“I don’t know. What is there to apologize for? She overreacted. She knows we don’t enjoy her cooking. Just because our relationship changed doesn’t mean my tastes are going to change for her.”

“You need to look in the mirror, Robin,” Raven stated. “It’s clear this isn’t working out. Every day I sense frustration and indifference from you. If it keeps on like this you’re just going to hurt both of you.” He looked up in surprise at her words.

“Maybe you’re more of a counselor than you let on.”

“I’m not a counselor,” she quickly denied. “Just—good at understanding other people, I guess. Even if they don’t understand me.”

“You’re right, Rae,” he agreed. “It’s time to stop tiptoeing the line about it. I’ve got to make a decision one way or another.”

“I’ll be here for you,” she told him. He looked at her, and she briefly looked down, before trying to return his gaze. “I owe it to you for at least that.”

“You don’t owe me anything. You helped me with my fears,” he replied. “Friends are there for each other, no matter what.”

“And as a friend of all of us, you have to make sure everyone is alright,” Raven reminded him. “Not just me.”

“I know, Rae. I’ll do my best.”

* * *

The Boy Wonder took his turn cooking dinner that night, whipping up a simple lasagna and grilling some veggies. The Titans ate in relative silence, Raven still fuming from her new part-time job status, Cyborg and Beast Boy drained from playing video games the entire afternoon, and Starfire’s mind still surprisingly unreadable. Robin cut a slice of lasagna and chewed slowly, thinking about how to best phrase his apology to Starfire. _How can I say this and still avoid having to eat her cooking in the future?_ He wondered.

“Alright, y’all,” Cyborg yawned. “The night is still young but we don’t wanna waste it. Who’s up for some volleyball at sunset?”

“Let’s go, dude,” Beast Boy chimed in, high-fiving Cyborg.

“Oh yes me please!” Starfire added, raising her hand.

“Uh, Star?” Robin asked. He cursed himself. This was the second time today he was going to look bad interrupting. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to you for a bit.” Raven didn’t look up, as she already knew what was going on, while Cyborg and Beast Boy looked at each other in confusion.

“Please make it quick,” Starfire said exasperatedly, and he got the feeling she was still annoyed at him. “Friends, will you allow us to join your game after our…talk?”

“Of course,” Cyborg said, holding up a thumbs up. “What about you, Rae?”

“I’m in the middle of a really good book,” Raven said, excusing herself.

“Oh come on, Raven!” Beast Boy cried. “Exercise is good for you!”

“I don’t need to exercise,” Raven muttered.

“Leave it, BB,” Cyborg said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “If she doesn’t want to play don’t force her to.” The two got up from the table and started leaving for the rooftop.

“Wait!” Raven said suddenly. They turned around. “Actually, I might play. I don’t have to finish this book today. I’ll just get through a couple more chapters.”

“Are you sure?” Beast Boy asked, even more confused. Raven nodded.

“I’ll meet you guys out there in half an hour,” she promised, and floated over to the living room to read while levitating, something she was strangely fond of doing.

“Come on, Star,” Robin decided, getting up and motioning for her to follow. Starfire glanced back at Cyborg and Beast Boy, then sighed, reluctantly following him into the hallway.

“I wanted to apologize for this morning,” Robin started. “I know I offended you but I didn’t mean to.”

“You cannot apologize for something that will not change.”

“What?” Robin questioned, confused.

“I know you do not enjoy my Tamaranian dishes. I had hoped that with our bond you would learn to love them. But still you refuse to eat them.”

“Star, I’m willing to try anything you make. It’s just that—”

“It’s just that you are not willing to do this for me, are you?” she accused him, folding her arms.

“I am, Star. You’re one of my closest friends,” he explained. “But we all have our own ideas and—”

“If you were really my friend who is a boy, you would do anything for me,” Starfire pouted.

“Star, of course, but sometimes you just have to understand that—”

“You need to stop making the excuses!” Starfire exclaimed furiously.

“No, no, you don’t understand,” Robin tried to explain.

“Stop saying I do not understand!” Starfire roared. And with that, she brushed past Robin and went back to the main room, likely going to the rooftop. Robin sighed again. What now?

Jump City’s resident teenage detective spent the rest of the night fiddling with gadgets and blowing off steam in the gym. He spent a few hours designing heat-seeking Birdarangs, copying the technology in Speedy’s arrows. He then pumped some iron and beat a few bags, frustrated generally at his situation. He had to keep fit for when someone broke out of jail or Slade came back, but he was getting horribly bored with life. Sure, the first week of peace had been nice, but he found himself missing the hero life more and more each day. Robin finished his last cooldown rep and set the bar back in place, turning off the lights and heading back to his room. He grabbed his stuff and quickly hopped in the shower, emerging after 10 minutes with his towel around his waist. Not bothering to put on clothes just yet, he was determine to finish the new Birdarangs. He would just work a little more on the Birdarang design, making sure it was perfect within a 30 foot radius and…

A curt rapping at the door. Robin set down his tools and got up, pressing the button to open it. There stood Raven, with an expectant expression and a…deflated volleyball?

“Uh, I’ll leave,” Raven said embarrassedly, after seeing him in only a towel.

“No, it’s fine,” he said quickly. “I’ll just throw on some clothes.” He closed the door, slipped on a clean uniform and reopened the door.

“I’m guessing your apology to Starfire went swimmingly,” she commented, regaining her composure.

“It was worse than I expected,” Robin muttered. “What happened to the ball?”

“I’d say it was indirectly caused by you,” Raven deadpanned. “After your talk, we played some volleyball. Apparently she wasn’t over it. Beast Boy made some dumb joke that annoyed her and the ball was the victim. After that we stopped playing obviously.”

“I don’t get it,” Robin brooded. “I was just about to explain that every relationship has sour points. You can’t expect someone to be perfect. But she just thinks I don’t care about her because I can’t enjoy her cooking.”

“Well, you don’t care about her as your girlfriend,” Raven pointed out. Robin glared at her. “Don’t shoot the messenger, birdbrain. You do care about her as a close friend and teammate. Just not in a romantic way anymore.”

“I don’t think she’s for me,” he admitted. “I need someone who understands me. Who’s willing to give me space and listen. She just wants me to do all the explaining and be all middle school romantic.”

“You should do something about it,” Raven advised. “It’s clearly making you unhappy.”

“But what?” he asked. “Starfire would go ballistic if I…” he trailed off.

“You beat a criminal mastermind, walked through hell to save me and fought an interdimensional demon, but you don’t have the balls to do something about your relationship?” Robin flinched at Raven’s bluntness. However harsh, she was right.

“I’ll figure something out,” he murmured.

“Good. I’ll see you in the morning,” Raven said, turning around.

“Uh, good luck with your job search,” he called after her. She turned her head around and rolled her eyes at him. “I mean it. You’re really doing us a good deed, Raven.”

“Whatever,” she muttered, striding off. Robin saw that she had left the deflated volleyball with him. He closed the door and stared at it for a minute. While he wasn’t sure Starfire would come around for a while, he almost always knew that Raven wouldn’t act the same way, despite her usual coldness. She thought through things much more than anyone on the team did, and as a result always ended up being the most levelheaded in every stupid argument the team ever had. Truth be told, he was confiding in Raven a lot lately. Not that he didn’t trust the others, just that she was the one who would always give the best advice and understand the way he was thinking. The Boy Wonder decided to plan it more out over the next few days. Turning off the light, Robin closed his eyes, emotions still swirling inside him.


	5. Stitches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The strain of Robin and Starfire's relationship comes to a peak.

The wizard was still wracked every day by the evil witch. He scoured his spell books, looking for a way, any way, to break free of the curse. Having sworn he would never consult the book he used to cast the spell that would defeat the witch, he reluctantly turned to his last source of hope. He found that the book had cautioned against casting such a strong spell, that it would cause a massive backlash from the source of evil. He read that only one thing could hope to at least keep whatever curse the witch had cast on him at bay…the love of a fair maiden…

Raven shut the book and rolled her eyes. She’d been mesmerized by the story up until that point, but now it was just crossing over into children’s fairytale land. A fighter for justice haunted by the ghost of his greatest enemy, who needed true love’s kiss? She’d fallen for that fantasy once before and it’d summoned a giant fire-breathing dragon. She created a portal and stepped through the door to go to breakfast, not bothering to open it manually. She was determined not to have her trust abused again.

Robin wasn’t feeling particularly motivated today, one of the few days he let go of his normally driven attitude. Cyborg had gotten up early and cooked breakfast, and he picked up some hashbrowns and scrambled eggs from the pan for his plate. Starfire seemed to have forgotten all about their fight the other night, and was now humming something in Tamaranian to herself. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Raven emerge from the hallway. Beast Boy was probably still asleep.

“Aw, come on, where is BB?” Cyborg asked, annoyed. “I’m supposed to kick his ass again in Smash today before my surfing lessons!”

“I’ll play,” Robin offered. “I don’t have much planned.”

“May I watch?” Starfire inquired. They both nodded. “Glorious! Friend Cyborg has been teaching me how to super smash and I am fairly confident in my abilities.” She gave Robin a quick kiss on the cheek and he smiled a little bit at her. Even though they seemed to have made up, he still had a sinking feeling that he had to cut it out eventually. Robin glanced over to see if Raven was free, but she was pouring some more tea with her back turned to him.

The Titans sans Raven and the still-asleep Beast Boy hopped on the couch as Cyborg fired up the console. Since they only had (and had ever needed) two controllers, Cyborg and Robin went head to head first. Robin picked Fox, his main, while Cyborg went with Megaman. They fought long and hard until Robin was able to nail Cyborg on their last stock with a well-timed up smash.

“I swear that move is one of the most broken in the game,” Cyborg grumbled.

“Did you say broken? I can pick Sheik next round if you want,” Robin taunted.

“My turn please!” Starfire piped up. Cyborg handed her his controller and she picked Lucario while Robin stuck with Fox. Robin easily won the first two stocks, barely taking any damage.

“I am supposed to become stronger the weaker I get, am I not?” Starfire grunted.

“You can’t be stronger if I don’t let you hit me,” Robin said, smirking. He expertly inputted a bunch of dodges and rolls, knocking Starfire out again.

“I demand a rematch!” Starfire insisted.

“Alright. I’ll even be a worse character just to let you have a chance,” Robin chuckled. Starfire glared at him and they got set to do battle again.

“Okay Robin, give your controller to me after this round,” Cyborg told him. “I got one more round before I have to go.”

“We’ll see,” Robin said, gritting his teeth in concentration. Cyborg looked at the two of them, both laser-focused, and sighed. Robin won again, and although the match had been closer, the outcome was never in doubt.

“You may be able to beat me now, but I will get better!” Starfire promised. “Cyborg, train with me again,” she commanded.

“Uh, Star, I got places to be,” he responded, jerking his thumb towards the hallway. “I can play you one more time, but I don’t think I have time right now to teach you more.” Starfire glared at him and he shrugged apologetically.

“Then I shall find some other activity to engage in,” she declared, dropping the controller and flying off. Robin and Cyborg looked at each other with the same confused expression.

“Ah, what a nice day, my dudes!” Beast Boy proclaimed, walking into the main room. Starfire brushed by him, a little bit too close, and he yelped. “Ow! That actually kind of hurt. What’s up with her?”

“Robin kicked his girlfriend’s ass in Smash,” Cyborg laughed. “Better go apologize to her,” he whispered, putting a hand on Robin’s shoulder.”

“Apologize for what?!” Robin shot back, a little too angrily. “I beat her in some stupid game. What’s the big deal?”

“Chill out, dudes,” Beast Boy said, walking over with a plate of tofu eggs. “The life of the party is here to solve all your problems!”

“You can play with Robin,” Cyborg said, tossing him the controller. “I gotta go to my lesson.”

“I don’t feel like playing anymore, actually,” Robin muttered, and set his controller down.

“Aw, come on dudes!” Beast Boy whined as he was the only one left in the main room.

Raven checked her email on the computer in the main room a short while after Beast Boy left. She had gone to meditate first, but all that had been moot since the thought of a part-time job again made her blood boil. She had put out her application on Jump City’s largest database, where any interested employers could contact her, and applied to some other jobs as well. She munched on a mid-morning waffle fresh made from Cyborg’s automatic waffle machine as she scanned all the updates. One interview request for some waitress job at a fancy restaurant. _Definitely not happening._ Rejections from three of the bookstores she applied to? _Not a good look,_ she thought nervously. She decided to wait a few more days to hear back. She definitely wasn’t taking the waitress job, given that they had found her. Maybe she’d hear back from the dark café in town if she was just patient enough. Feeling bored (this was becoming more common lately), Raven remembered the old pair of needles she had stored in her room. Yes…this would do for now.

* * *

Starfire was making another Tamaranian pie when Beast Boy returned to the main room to catch his early afternoon TV programming. Snatching up the remote, he quickly flipped to the channel and proceeded to be transfixed by the screen.

“Friend Beast Boy,” Starfire called. “My favorite program, the cards that make a house, is rerunning their episode that I missed. May we change the channel?”

“Aren’t you cooking right now, Star?” Beast Boy called back. “Just let me watch.”

“I will let you watch if you try some of this pie,” Starfire compromised. “I have changed the filling so it is less…foul to the taste.”

“Fine,” Beast Boy conceded. “As long as its vegetarian.”

“Hooray!” Starfire shouted. “I shall finish making the crust and it shall be glorious!” Silkie crawled up onto the counter and watched with interest as Starfire mixed the filling. He dived in, stuffing his face with the stuff until Starfire pulled him out. “Bad Silkie!” she scolded. “This filling is for our consumption!”

“Guess I won’t have to try it after all,” Beast Boy snickered to himself from the couch. The episode was halfway over and it didn’t look like Starfire was anywhere close to being done with the pie. With luck, he could finish the episode by the time Star was done baking and…

“Beast Boy!” Starfire cried. “Come, the pie is finished!” Beast Boy groaned loudly as he stood up, defeated legs bringing him to the kitchen. Starfire quickly wrapped him up and brought him a plate of the pie.

“So, uh, what’s in here? Do I want to know?” he asked nervously. Starfire flashed him a grin.

“It is best you try before you find out,” she recommended. Beast Boy sighed and closed his eyes as he went to taste a piece. He carefully took a bite, tasting it with his tongue and…it actually wasn’t bad. It tasted weird, for sure. Like pancakes, Doritos, cotton candy, and peanut butter had all decided to throw a party. But he would have to guess it was better than the pie Robin had tried the other week.

“It’s, uh, alright,” he admitted.

“Glorious!” Starfire exclaimed. “Thank you, friend! I shall use this recipe from now on!” she said, hugging him tightly.

“Heh, heh, heh…” he laughed nervously, trying not to choke. Eventually he turned into a snake and slithered out of Starfire’s grasp before changing back. “So, uh, heard you had a fun time with video games this morning,” he said, changing the subject.

“I would not exactly call that fun,” Starfire replied, somewhat sullenly.

“Aw, what’s wrong, Star?” he asked.

“I am not good enough to beat my friends yet,” she clarified. “And I feel that neither of them has any cares about my ability at this super smashing game.”

“Star, it’s just a game,” Beast Boy tried to explain.

“On my planet, nothing is a game,” she said, gritting her teeth. “Such competitions are always used to prove who is superior. If one loses the game, they must improve or accept status as the subordinate.”

“Maybe on your planet, but not on ours,” Beast Boy retorted. “Some games, yeah. But I wouldn’t call those games. We have the word ‘games’ for a reason, Star. It’s because it’s supposed to be a way for everyone to have fun. Competition doesn’t have to be about winning all the time.”

“Then why does friend who is a boy Robin care so much about winning?” Starfire wondered.

“Him? He’s a nutcase, Star. Once he puts his mind to something, he’ll obsess over it to no end. Those kinds of people are usually sore losers.”

“I wish he would do the obsessing over me,” Starfire muttered. Beast Boy was at a lack of words, as this had somehow turned from a conversation about video games to a relationship counseling session.

“Uh, I’m sure he, uh, cares a lot!” Beast Boy encouraged. “He’s just not very, uh, socially capable sometimes.”

“It seems he is never socially capable with me anymore.”

“Sure he is! He still hangs out with you.”

“But the hanging out is different now,” Starfire pointed out. “He does not wish to do the hanging out like we are in the shipping of relations. I thought that when Earthlings engage in this shipping they do the hanging out more often.”

“Every relationship’s different, I guess,” Beast Boy laughed nervously. “Listen, if it’s not working out, why don’t you just go talk to him?” He watched as Starfire genuinely considered his idea, giving it deep thought.

“Wonderful idea, Beast Boy!” she exclaimed after a minute. “You have helped me greatly, friend! For your thoughts, I will reward you with more of my wonderful pie in the future!” And with that, she floated off happily with Silkie following behind her. Beast Boy glanced at the TV, the episode now over and him missing the last 15 minutes.

“Uh, you’re welcome, I guess.”

* * *

After going shopping for some parts to put together his new gadgets, Robin returned to the tower craving a snack. The doors to the common room slid open and Robin found it to be mostly empty. Strange. He set his parts down on the counter and went to make a PB&J, but caught a glimpse of a blue cloak out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see Raven sitting on the edge of the couch, knitting.

“Herbal tea, now knitting?” he called. “You’re preparing for your older life quite well.”

“Very funny, birdbrain,” she responded. “I would’ve thought you already knew I did this by now.”

“Never seen you do it, to be honest,” Robin said as he spread the peanut butter and jelly on two slices of bread. “How come you don’t do it more often?”

“In case you missed it, there hasn’t exactly been much time to be bored around here,” she replied. “And it never gets that cold here anyway. No need for most of the stuff I make.”

“What are you making, anyway?” Robin asked, walking over with sandwich in hand.

“Scarf,” she said, holding up the half-stitched creation. It was mostly shades of green, with streaks of yellow patched in-between.

“Cool,” he remarked. She shrugged.

“It’s just something to do. My head might explode if we go much longer without anything happening.”

“So the others don’t know?”

“I started this one in my room. Then I came here for more light after everyone else left,” she said, focusing on her needles. They sat in silence for a few moments, the only sound in the room being Robin’s chews of the sandwich and the needles threading through yarn.

“Well, I’ve been upgrading,” Robin finally said. “Can never be too prepared. I should have the new Birdarangs done tomorrow and I’ll be able to test them out in combat practice.”

“Good for you,” Raven murmured. She suddenly stopped knitting and glared at the scarf. “Fuck,” she hissed.

“What?” Robin asked, concerned.

“It’s nothing. I just stitched the wrong pattern. I’m gonna have to go back quite a ways…” she sighed.

“My bad,” Robin said apologetically. “I should’ve just let you work in peace.”

“Stop worrying, Boy Blunder,” she reprimanded. “I distracted myself. I didn’t remember the pattern correctly.”

“Still though…”

“Stop it,” she sighed exasperatedly. “I appreciate your concern and all, but it really has nothing to do with you.”

“Okay, okay,” he conceded, raising his hands.

“Have you thought about it yet?” Raven asked suddenly. Robin looked up, surprised.

“Uh, a little bit, I guess,” he said, trying to skirt the issue.

“Robin. You know it’s not healthy,” she said sternly, while still managing to keep knitting the scarf.

“She got upset about video games today,” he muttered.

“It’s okay to be decisive, sometimes,” she said, still looking at the scarf. “Sometimes you don’t need to think it over long and hard. Just do what feels right.” He gazed out the window, thinking about her words. Finally, he nodded to himself.

“You’re right,” he said, determined.

“Have you made a decision?” she asked, looking up.

“I have,” he answered. “I know I already say this way too much, but…thanks. Again.” She shook her head.

“Just don’t delay this any longer. Please. I can feel the negativity every day now.”

“Don’t you…not mind dark things though?” he asked, a bit confused.

“Dark and bad are not necessarily the same thing, Robin,” she said. “Here, take this.” She handed him the scarf. “I finally finished it.”

“Uh, you sure you don’t want it? You worked pretty hard on it.”

“It’s not something I would ever wear. Mostly a color scheme thing. It goes with your outfit anyway.” He hesitated as she held it in front of him. “Well, if you don’t want it, I can always give it to Beast Boy. It is mostly green, after all.”

“I’ll take it,” Robin responded, accepting the scarf from her hands. “But…is there any reason you’re doing this?”

“I can’t do something just because it’s a nice thing to do?” she asked annoyedly, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not the only one who’s alienated your friends before, you know.”

“I get it,” Robin agreed. “I’m sorry I asked. I know how annoying it is to have people judge you when you’re trying to change.” Her glare softened and she nodded.

“It’s alright,” she said. “Enjoy the scarf.”

“Will do, Rae,” he said, smiling.

Cyborg was up to cook again, and he didn’t disappoint. Even on simple days, the half-robot was always reliable for a delicious home-cooked meal.

“Boo-yah!” he shouted, almost vibrating the tower with his whoop. “Look at that golden tinge! And the juices flowing out of it! Mmm mmm mmm,” he salivated, pulling his ham out of the oven.

“Cyborg, you could stand to do less fanboying of your own cooking and more bringing the food over here,” Raven commented, annoyed.

“Be patient, Rae,” Cyborg responded giddily. “My loaded baked potatoes are almost done too!” As if on cue, the mini Cyborg-shaped timer on top of the oven rang, and Cyborg whooped again in joy. He pulled out the rack with the baked potatoes, and all the Titans, even Raven, seemed to be tantalized by the aroma. Cyborg brought everything over and everyone eagerly dug in.

“No bacon in my potato, right?” Beast Boy asked suspiciously, jabbing his fork in the direction of his plate.

“As requested,” Cyborg responded through bites. “Just melted cheese, broccoli, sour cream, butter, Chef Cyborg’s trademarked nine spice seasoning, and a dash of the finest onions,” he said lovingly.

“Wow, this is amazing,” Robin remarked. “You should really keep doing that cooking show of yours.”

“I’m getting renewed in a month’s time, hopefully,” Cyborg said giddily. “They didn’t order any more seasons after I couldn’t keep up with the demand working on my old Max 6. But I got a new schedule worked out with them and I’m kicking it off with five more flavors of CyBQ sauce!”

“Glorious!” Starfire said cheerily, dousing her plate in mustard.

“Star, no!” Cyborg yelled in horror. “That’s supposed to be eaten pure! You can’t ruin the flavor by adding any condiments to it…” he trailed off, realizing it was too late as Starfire emptied a bottle on the ham.

“What a shame,” Raven deadpanned. The team, enjoying the increasingly frequent home-cooked dinners together that their free time afforded, finished up their meal and sat for a little bit, all a little drowsy and still digesting Cyborg’s feast.

“Dude, I need a 14 hour nap,” Beast Boy said wearily, tongue hanging out.

“Oh come on!” Cyborg shouted. “I know you can go for another potato.”

“Yeah, that’s because you don’t ever have to digest anything,” Beast Boy pointed out. “It just goes, uh…where does it go?”

“Call it the new efficiency in eating,” Cyborg proclaimed proudly. “I can taste everything but I don’t get full! Best of both worlds.”

“Friend Robin?” Starfire asked tentatively, tapping his shoulder. “I wish to speak with you after dinner.”

“Actually, Star, I was going to say the same thing,” Robin replied, a little worried. He hadn’t expected Starfire to reach out.

“Then we shall go and speak,” Starfire said with a little smile. They put their plates in the sink and left the table for the rooftop.

“Wanna go into town for the night?” Cyborg asked the others. “Heard there’s a new disco club opening up downtown. Lots of hot music and lights.”

“If there’s admirers of the legendary Beast Boy there, I’m in,” Beast Boy agreed. He turned into a puppy and smiled widely, then changed back. “They’ll never be able to resist that.”

“Suuureeee,” Raven drawled.

“Oh come on, Raven, you know you can’t resist this look,” Beast Boy said, changing into a puppy again. Raven raised an eyebrow, then zapped him with a ray of magic, sending him flying into the ceiling. Cyborg laughed as Beast Boy fell and changed back into a human, landing on his feet and scowling. “That was uncalled for, you know,” he muttered, brushing himself off.

“Old habits die hard,” Raven answered, shrugging.

“Come on, B, let’s go,” Cyborg said, tugging on Beast Boy’s hand.

“I’ll be sure to bring home lots of chickens for you,” Beast Boy called back to her as they left. Raven rolled her eyes.

“Do your worst, Garfield.”

* * *

“So?” Robin asked as they stood facing the bay.

“Robin, I feel as though this is…” Starfire started.

“Not…working?” Robin finished hesitantly.

“Yes,” Starfire agreed. “Not…working.”

“I feel that way too,” Robin mused.

“Do you not love me as you used to as a friend?” Starfire asked with sadness in her voice.

“Star, you’re one of my closest friends,” Robin answered. “You all are. You’re the most important people in my life. But I don’t think I love you as…more than that.”

“There is a difference?” Starfire asked, confused.

“Uh, well yeah, kind of,” Robin replied. “Maybe they do it different on Tamaran. But here, you can like someone as a friend and still not be more than that.”

“But we had the kiss, did we not? You told me it is your way of showing affection.”

“It is, but it’s not set in stone. Nothing really is. That’s what makes it so complicated,” Robin explained.

“You do not see me as the friend who is a girl, then?”

“Uh, truthfully, not anymore,” Robin admitted. “It’s nothing on your part. I think that I—might have rushed in too quickly.”

“So you engaged in the shipping relations without preparing yourself?” Starfire asked, her arms folded.

“It’s a little less black and white than that,” Robin said. “Love is a tricky thing. Sometimes, you don’t really know if your feelings are true or not.”

“I am sad that you do not feel the same way for me as I do for you,” Starfire said, turning away.

“I-I’m sorry,” Robin apologized. He cursed himself for sounding so stupid. No doubt Starfire was going to have extreme emotional swings soon. And he wasn’t helping.

“I will accept that you do not feel the same way for me anymore,” Starfire said quietly. “But that will not help me with my feelings.” Robin came over and put a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be the one for you, Star,” he said. “I really am. But life is long. I’m sure you’ll find someone who’s right for you.”

“Why am I not the one for you, friend Robin?”

“My, uh, reasons are my own,” he explained quickly. “But I need you to understand that just because we didn’t work out doesn’t mean I don’t like you. We’re still friends. Always will be.”

“I will need some time,” Starfire said, beginning to sob.

“I’m sorry, Star,” Robin repeated, beginning to be overwhelmed with guilt. He knew this was going to be hard, but it didn’t make it sting any less. “I really am.”

“But we will still do the hanging out and the super smashing and the training together?”

“Of course, Star,” he promised. She looked up at him.

“I hope that you will find your one,” she said. “I am sad that it could not be me.”

“I can, uh, leave you alone for a while if you’d like,” he offered. “Give you some space.”

“Yes, that would be most preferable,” she agreed, and flew off towards the bay. He raised a hand to try to stop her, but she was already off towards the ocean. He sighed and looked back towards the open door, beginning the long trudge back down to the tower.


	6. Raven's Ruminations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the team deals with the aftermath of the breakup, Raven reflects on her own feelings for Robin.

As Robin descended back into an empty common room, he knew who he had to see. The Boy Wonder strode into the hallway until he reached the door with “RAVEN” imprinted on the front. He knocked and the door whooshed open just a few seconds later. Raven stood with her hood up, seemingly thinking once again.

“I felt your emotions from here,” she began. “I assume it’s all over now?”

“More or less,” he replied.

“Was it messy?”

“Surprisingly, no.”

“That’s good to hear,” she said, giving a relieved smile. “Where is Starfire?”

“She flew off in the direction of the bridge. I think she probably needs some space,” he sighed. “I don’t know how long this will take. I don’t know what it’s going to look like around the tower now.”

“That’s all stuff you can worry about later,” Raven responded. “How do you feel right now?”

“Aren’t you able to tell?”

“It’s more important that you can acknowledge it yourself,” she said. “True, emotions never lie. But you can still lie to yourself about what you take from them.”

“I don’t know how to sort everything out,” he admitted.

“Do you feel like you did the wrong thing?”

“Hmm…well, not really.”

“Do you feel that you can still heal and repair your relations with her?” she continued.

“I don’t know how long it’ll take, but eventually, yeah I think so.”

“You’ll be fine, Robin,” Raven told him. “You might still be confused right now, but it’ll work out. Starfire will recover and you two will still be great friends.”

“I sure hope so,” he mumbled. “Never knew you could give out great relationship advice.”

“Books aren’t the only thing I read, you know. At some point it starts getting predictable what I’m going to hear from all these voices in my head.”

“We’ll see how it plays out,” he said. “You’re probably sick of hearing about my problems.”

“We’re connected, remember?” she replied, shrugging. “Even if I didn’t want to hear them I could still feel them. But I don’t mind it at all.” Robin smiled, and then opened his arms, taking a step forward and giving her a quick hug. The empath, taken off guard by the gesture, took a moment before wrapping her arms around him.

“I, uh, know you don’t like hugs, but you’ve done a lot for me,” he said, looking into her eyes. “I don’t know. I’m dealing with a lot right now.” Raven was glad her hood was up so he couldn’t see her blushing.

“It’s…okay,” she said nervously. God, why was she tightening up now? It was just a hug, after all. She had no reason to be acting like this. And yet… “I don’t mind,” she finished quickly. “I just don’t like them when they’re…uncalled for.”

“Understood,” Robin said, nodding his head. “See you in the morning.” He left for his room and she stepped back into hers, closing the door. She glanced over at the book on her bed, untouched since she had gotten to the part about breaking the curse. Maybe she’d give it another shot.

* * *

Starfire returned in the middle of the night, quietly heading back to her room. Beast Boy and Cyborg had left a half-eaten late night pizza on the counter and she took a slice, drenching it with mustard and swallowing it in one gulp. She had spent most of her time sitting alone on top of the bridge, gazing at the moon. It was a new experience in what had been nothing but those ever since her arrival on Earth. Although it was much too late to cook, she knew just the thing for herself to wake up to in the morning.

Robin sprang up early in the morning, realizing that he hadn’t informed the two goof-offs of his current situation. He wanted to get his word in before either of them said something accidental and made the air more awkward than it needed to be. Putting on his cape, he exited and went straight for Cyborg’s room, knocking on the door. He heard the whirring of some mechanical parts before the door slid open.

“Robin?” Cyborg groaned. “This better be important, I need my—”

“It is,” Robin said in a hushed voice. “Listen, I need you to know about this so you don’t get surprised later. Star and I talked last night and—”

“Did you break up?” Cyborg asked, finishing for him.

“Uh, yeah. So I guess, uh, just keep that in mind.”

“I’d ask about it, but I figure you probably don’t wanna talk about it,” Cyborg wondered aloud.

“I’ve already, uh, got it out of my system, but yeah, I don’t really wanna repeat it,” Robin answered.

“No problem, dude. You won’t get a peep out of me. Now can I finish my sleep cycle?”

“Sure,” Robin said, and quickly left. Cyborg shook his head.

“That man is paranoid.”

Robin went to Beast Boy’s room, knocking on the door. A few minutes passed and no answer. Robin knocked on the door again, significantly harder this time. After another minute, the door finally slid open.

“Robin?” Beast Boy asked groggily, before toppling over. Robin grabbed him by his collar and picked him up. “Ow, hey, what’s up with you?”

“This is important, Beast Boy,” Robin hissed. “I need you to not joke around. I ended my relationship last night and things are a little dicey. Do me a favor and don’t mention it or joke about it.”

“Okay, okay,” Beast Boy replied, holding his hands up. “I got it. No jokes about Robin and Star. No jokes about Robin and Star. No jokes about…”

“You better remember that,” Robin growled, and left. Beast Boy somehow dragged himself back into his bunk bed, eyes rapidly closing.

“Like I told Star, that dude is a nutcase,” he muttered before passing out again.

Robin made his way down the hall to the main room. As he walked, worries riddled his mind. _Cyborg I can trust, but even he occasionally crosses the line. He might ask for an explanation later even if he doesn’t want one now. Beast Boy is totally unreliable. He’s definitely gonna…_ As Robin turned the corner, he bumped into someone. He had expected it to be Raven, but quickly found out otherwise. Starfire was carrying a bowl of pudding, and they had brushed against each other a little too forcefully. A tiny bit of pudding had spilled on the floor, but otherwise they were both fine.

“Uh, sorry,” he managed to get out.

“It is alright,” she replied in a monotone.

“I’ll, uh, clean that up,” he offered. “You can go ahead and keep doing what you were doing.” She took a spoonful of pudding and Robin saw her expression turn to one of disgust, and then change back as she swallowed it. She turned and walked down the hallway without another word. Robin had a pretty good idea of what she had made for herself. He wet a rag and went back to clean up the pudding, only to find that it was sticking to the carpet and not coming out. Sighing loudly, he went back into the main room and plopped onto the couch. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with this right now.

* * *

Raven had been up on the rooftop again, arising earlier than either Robin or Starfire, trying to make sense of her emotions. This had happened too many times to be a coincidence. She traced back her relationship with Robin, trying to detect when she had felt the way she did last night. There was the bond to start, of course. Helping Robin through his paranoia about Slade, she had stumbled on more than she intended. But strangely, Robin had never seemed to mind her knowing those things about him. She skimmed over her birthday and the prophecy, both because she had already felt their bond strengthen then and to not relive those events again. She finally arrived at their long conversations and little quirks over the past couple of months. She had confided in him about learning to open up, about adjusting to life without the dark cloud of her heritage she had bore up until that point. He had always gone to her first about his rocky relationship and his undying obsessions about other things, such as a masked criminal mastermind that her father had brought back from the dead. The sorceress knew that they would often run into each other already, by virtue of their living habits. They also connected easily, as they thought similarly about serious issues and Robin was always the one who would understand her sarcasm. But why had she felt a little jolt, and the rush of embarrassment with that hug? It wasn’t like she hated hugs; it was more a preference for personal space. Raven was definitely not one to object for physical affection if the situation called for it, even if she would have to pretend she enjoyed it. But Robin hadn’t violated her space. The hug wasn’t out of context either. If Beast Boy had done the same thing, she probably would’ve told him to scram and let go of her immediately. But Robin was different…for some reason…

_Will you listen to me already?_ The singsongy voice was back. _You’re in love and you can’t deny it._

 _Or maybe he’s just my closest friend, okay?_ Raven snapped.

 _Ah, but love is born out of a strong bond of companionship, is it not?_ The voice replied.

 _Only one way to find out,_ a second voice interjected. _I suggest you ask him on a date, right up front!_

 _Horrible idea,_ Raven replied, sneering.

 _Please,_ a third voice joined. _Although I do not agree with their methods, I do feel that they are right about the message. You do enjoy the company and affection of this man, even if you do not realize it now._

 _Remember what happened the last time we fell in love?_ A fourth voice remarked boredly.

 _Good Robin is not an ancient dragon who wishes to deceive us,_ The first voice replied.

 _And if he is, we will be ready this time!_ The second voice exclaimed determinedly.

 _Shut up, all of you!_ Raven shouted furiously in her mind. Any observer right now would’ve seen her face radiating fury, seeming like she was having a conversation with herself from the way she bobbed her head (and they would be correct).

 _There is a…more moderate way to find out,_ the third voice advised. _If you open up your mind to him…if you allow him to access the parts you have sealed off…you will grow to understand more about him, and yourself._

_I thought the bond only enhanced my feelings of him._

_It is called a bond, is it not?_ The voice remarked amusedly. _Not a chain. Consult your scrolls, Raven. You know how to strengthen the bond, and you know that you cannot avoid finding the answer forever._

 _Just make sure not to open up too much or else he’ll see all of us,_ the fourth voice added. Raven opened her eyes, frowning. Her emotions were all right in their own way. She might be in love and not realize it. She was vehemently denying it at the moment. _How long has it been like this? If they’re right, then that means I’ve been like this since they were still dating…_ She shook her head, feeling sick. She wasn’t supposed to feel this way for Robin while he was still taken. That was wrong. But maybe, by helping him, she had inadvertently gotten herself closer to him. Regardless, they were right about the bond. It was the most effective and most inconspicuous way. She had to find out more. About him, and about herself.

Raven had done her best to put her swirling thoughts and emotions to rest when she finally descended down to the main room. However, once she arrived, she saw that Robin was the only one in there, flipping channels on the TV, and immediately cursed to herself. It seemed like he hadn’t noticed her yet as she went to pour herself some tea. Suddenly noticing her hunger, she went over to Cyborg’s waffle machine and pressed a few buttons, bringing the contraption whirring to life.

“Didn’t know you were an early morning cartoons type,” she remarked as she watched him flip aimlessly. He sat up at the voice and looked around before seeing her.

“Oh, hey,” he said sheepishly. “Kind of snuck in here, didn’t you?”

“I was on the roof,” she replied. “What are you doing? You don’t get up early just to watch TV.”

“I got up to let Cyborg and Beast Boy know what happened last night.”

“You woke them up this early to tell them in advance? How considerate.”

“Considerate? Speak for yourself,” Robin snorted.

“Touché, Boy Blunder. But at least I try not to disturb everyone when I get up early. Try not to be so worried. Those two don’t act stupid unless you give them a reason to.”

“Which you usually do,” Robin laughed, earning a glare from Raven.

“So how did you end up flipping through channels aimlessly in here?” He sighed loudly and she sensed frustration and helplessness.

“I bumped into Starfire.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah. I spilled some of her pudding of sadness. Whatever she made it with, it won’t come out of the carpet,” he muttered.

“We’ll worry about that later,” Raven responded. “Just don’t think too much of it. It’ll blow off in a few days or so.”

“Hopefully,” he said quietly. Their thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the waffle machine dinging, sending two waffles flipping through the air before landing on a plate complete with a fork, butter, and a dish of syrup.

“Whose are those?” Robin asked.

“Mine,” Raven said, taking the plate and sitting down.

“You…eat waffles?” Robin inquired.

“Did you think I was joking about liking waffles?” Raven asked, making it seem like it should’ve been an obvious fact. She cut off a piece and started eating while Robin stared. “Are you done acting like you’re surprised?” she said between chews.

“No acting here,” Robin murmured. _She’s full of surprises,_ he thought to himself. _I thought I knew her well._

“Thinking about something?” Raven said, interrupting his thoughts.

“It’s nothing,” he dismissed.

“Waffles still on your mind?” she chuckled. “I didn’t realize I could get you this starstruck.”

“You weren’t lying when you told me how complex your mind was,” he replied.

“And speaking of that, I need to go meditate,” she said, finishing up her breakfast and putting the plate in the sink.

“Don’t be late for combat practice,” he called after her.

“Never have been, never will be.”

* * *

After a slightly awkward combat practice in which Raven dragged Cyborg and Beast Boy out of bed to attend and Robin purposely tried to lead exercises so he wouldn’t have to be paired with Starfire, Raven went to shower and then check on her job status. Logging in, she was dismayed to see a bunch of emails with not-so-promising subject lines.

“Isn’t there anyone in this city that wants to profit off the fame of a Teen Titan?” she muttered, irked by the lack of explanations of the rejections. At least the dark café had offered her an interview. It’d been a couple of weeks since she submitted the applications, and this was looking more and more like the turnout she was going to end up getting. She had a few more interview requests for various cashier jobs she would never ever take.

“Sounds like you’re gonna have a swell time,” Cyborg commented from the kitchen as he made himself a late morning brunch.

“Not everyone can go and just make tons of money off a cooking show,” Raven snapped.

“Maybe you should go do a magic show or something then,” Cyborg suggested. “That’s something you’re good at.”

“I am not going to spend my days doing some stupid sleight of hand bullshit to amuse five year olds.”

“Suit yourself,” Cyborg said, shrugging. “Just think of something you’re good at, Rae. You might just find a job from that.” Raven thought to herself. What did she do well? Meditate. But nobody was interested in meditation by itself, and her ways were meant to be much more effective than for the average person anyway. Read. That’s why she had applied to all those bookstore jobs. What else? Not much. She didn’t really have much time in her day for other things, nor was she interested in them. Meditate, read, occasionally hang out.

She really didn’t like any of the options. Hopefully she could land something at the café, as she’d be most comfortable there. Scanning over the details, she read the available interview dates.

“Shit, the last one is today,” she muttered to herself. She looked over the other interview offers, seeing when they were. She had time for the others later. The Titans’ communicators were all connected like regular numbers to the city’s lines, so she called them, scheduling the interview. She had a few hours to prepare and…find clothes to wear. Raven swore under her breath again. She didn’t own many civilian clothes. The leotard and cloak were the only two pieces of clothing she’d ever needed, but for a job…

The empath strode down the hallway to Starfire’s room, figuring if she was quick, she could knock out two birds with one stone. Knocking on the door, it was a moment before the alien opened up. Raven realized that with the exception of combat practice, she hadn’t left her room all day.

“Yes, friend Raven?” she said quietly.

“Hey, Starfire,” Raven greeted. “I hope I’m not interrupting you.”

“You are not,” she replied. She seemed to be somewhat defeated and resigned. Raven could tell her usual pep was missing.

“I was wondering—do you maybe wanna go to the mall with me right now? I need to pick up some clothes for my interview,” Raven asked. “And you could help me pick out a good outfit.”

“I would like that,” Starfire decided, brightening up a little. “Some shopping at the mall will help me alleviate the sadness I am feeling.” Raven noticed a big bowl sitting next to her bed, almost empty. She made a mental note to let Starfire take the lead on their shopping, one because Raven didn’t know much about fashion and two, it would help ease Starfire’s pain at least a little bit.

Raven put her hood up and the two girls exited the tower, flying directly to the mall. She noticed that Starfire, who normally enjoyed soaring and flying as high as possible, was lagging behind her today. They arrived at the front entrance and Raven breathed a sigh of relief seeing the mall emptier at midday.

“Friend Raven, why do you need a new change of clothes for your interview?” Starfire asked as they walked into a clothing store. “You have done interviews in these clothes in the past, have you not?”

“Not a media interview, Starfire,” Raven replied. “A job interview. They expect you to be serious about getting the job so they want you to look professional. Or something.”

“Your Earthling ways have many intricate customs,” Starfire remarked.

“I don’t need anything flashy,” Raven cautioned. “Just something that’s simple and looks good.”

“I understand, Raven,” Starfire acknowledged, then ran off into the women’s section. Raven sighed, still not fully believing that Starfire had understood what she meant, and followed her.

“This would look good on you, friend Raven,” Starfire giggled, coming back with a bunch of hangers. Raven saw that she had picked out a frilly pink dress and some high heels.

“Uhhh…”

“It is pretty, is it not?”

“I don’t think pink looks good on me, Starfire,” Raven drawled. “Not too keen on the high heels either.”

“I shall find something less…pink for you,” Starfire declared. Raven sighed and started her own search, looking for more modest shirts and bottoms. She politely rejected Starfire’s ideas of other dresses, skirts, and low-cut shirts. She eventually settled on a plain white shirt with a dark blue blazer and black pants. Perfect colors. She let Starfire pick out a pair of flats to match the outfit and they were done. Checking the time, she still had a couple of hours left. They checked out and Raven was ready to go when Starfire put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“Friend Raven, I wish to go back to the place where they do the makeup.”

“Uh…don’t be more than like, half an hour,” Raven mandated.

“But Raven, the last time I was there I spent two hours…”

“I have an interview to make, Starfire,” Raven answered, a little annoyed. “I’ll grab something to eat while I wait for you, but if you take too long I’ll have to head back first.”

“Very well. I shall try to be prompt.” She made a beeline for the makeup shop and Raven went over to the food court, grabbing a salad.

“Hey, is that Raven?” a voice called. She turned to see a group of teenagers, probably around her same age, gawk and point in her direction.

“Oh my God, she’s like totally my role model!” One of the girls shrieked.

“Can we have a selfie?” they asked, coming closer.

“Mother of Azarath,” Raven swore, then quickly teleported away from them and in front of the makeup store.

“Starfire,” she called. “Are you almost finished?” She peered into the store, not catching a glimpse of the cheery Tamaranian at first. Then she saw that she was being mobbed by girls and happily enjoying the attention.

“Yes, you can all be my little bumgorfs one day,” she promised, grinning widely for pictures.

“Starfire!” Raven yelled. She stared daggers into her as she turned to face her.

“Hello, Raven!” she replied. “Would you like to join us in the picture taking?”

“Starfire, we have to go,” she stated.

“Please, friend Raven. Just a few more minutes!” she begged. The empath hesitated. Normally this was the part where she forcefully dragged Starfire out, but she could sense that she was back to her cheery ways at least for now. And given the circumstances, it wouldn’t hurt to let it last a little longer.

“Okay, Starfire. Take your time,” Raven said, smiling. “I’ll let the others know you’re here. I’m going back to the tower.” She waved goodbye and flew off with her new clothes, as Starfire continued to try on makeup and greet people happily.


	7. Food for Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two birds strengthen their bond, with a Cyborg cooking cameo for good measure.

“How was the job interview?” Robin asked as he followed the empath down the hallway.

“Bland. Odd in some respects.”

“Do you think they’ll hire you?”

“Who knows,” Raven said, boredly shrugging.

“Well, if they don’t hire you, you should take that restaurant job. I heard during rushes waitresses can make a lot of money.”

“I’d rather end the world again,” Raven snorted.

“So, what did you want to see me for?” Robin asked as she opened the door to her room.

“You remember our bond?” Raven answered.

“How could I forget?” he chuckled.

“Do you feel anything different? Do you think you can sense me, you can feel me?”

“Uh, not in particular,” Robin responded, scratching his head.

“I want to strengthen our bond,” Raven explained. _Well, and do something else too,_ she thought to herself. _But that can wait._ “I can feel you right now. Your feelings, your emotions, memories, everything. But I don’t think you have the same access. It’s not equal.”

“Raven, I appreciate what you’re doing, but it’s honestly okay,” Robin said. “I’m fine with you knowing everything about me. I feel like I already know a lot about you. I don’t want to invade your privacy.”

“Robin, I’m doing this because I trust you with my mind. If something were to ever happen to me again, you’d be that much better off knowing what to do.”

“If you say so,” Robin conceded as he looked around her room. Various books and ornaments lined the shelves, with her bed and mystical headboard at the center of it all. He spotted the mirror that had caused so much trouble in the corner, and also a big trunk off to the side.

“Sit,” Raven commanded. Robin obliged and she used her powers to set up a circle of candles around them before joining him directly across.

“Have you ever considered this is a big fire hazard?” Robin cracked.

“Unlike some others who reside in the tower, I am careful with my possessions,” Raven replied seriously.

“Just tell me what to do and I’ll follow best as I can,” Robin told her.

“You’ll want to first find your center. This doesn’t necessarily mean closing your eyes, although for the majority of people that’s usually how they can focus.” Robin relaxed, trying to forget all thoughts and just concentrate on feeling balanced. “For me, meditation is linked to my powers, so I have to focus my magic,” she continued. “I’ll handle most of the bond strengthening. But I’ll need you to be completely at ease.”

“Do I have to say Azarath Metrion Zinthos?” Robin asked with his eyes still closed.

“If it helps you focus. Everyone is different. The most important thing is to achieve the state of balance.” Raven started chanting her trademark incantation, and Robin found it difficult to not be entranced by the rhythmic repeating of the words. He decided to follow her lead, and they both started chanting, with the occasional crackling of a flame the only noise to cut through. Meditation came more natural to Robin as he had already received similar training, but he still tried to follow Raven’s lead to a T and calm himself. He could only see darkness, and the sound of his own voice and Raven’s gradually got softer. His breaths became slower and more even, and he felt himself slipping away from the reality of Raven’s room.

Robin suddenly found himself in a strange environment. It looked like outer space, but…wasn’t. He could only look around, and when he tried to move it felt like he wasn’t actually going anywhere. _Where…am I?_ he wondered.

“You are in the balanced state,” Raven’s voice answered, booming from all over. “Do not resist. Maintain your focus. You won’t be here for long.” Robin obliged, floating in place and observing the environment around him. He floated for a few moments before he saw something open in the sky. A warm light emerged, bathing him in its radiance. He felt himself start to float up towards the top, but there was no destination in sight. He just kept floating…floating…and…

The Boy Wonder found himself in a city with Greek-like architecture and long paths. He found he could no longer move, but rather he was being guided along by some force. _This is Azarath,_ he realized. He saw a violet-haired woman running along the path with tears in her eyes. _Raven’s mother?_ He wondered. The scene suddenly changed and he saw a young Raven with a sad, confused look on her face as she was surrounded by monks in identical robes. The scene changed again. A pre-teen Raven, meditating with a monk in intricate robes. The visions Robin saw changed quite frequently, and over the next few moments he saw four demonic eyes in an angry red vortex, entering some portal with the Earth in sight at the end, running from city to city alone, and finally himself fighting Starfire through Raven’s eyes. Suddenly, darkness. Four demonic eyes everywhere. The background turned bloodred and black, and he found himself hyperventilating. An evil laugh boomed throughout, and he felt it get very hot. Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the hellish place disappeared. He was transported into another environment, this one completely white.

_The bond is complete._

Robin didn’t know where the voice came from, and it didn’t sound like Raven’s. He felt a chilly sensation course through him, but it quickly turned tranquil. It was like jumping into a pool and then adjusting to the temperature of the water. He felt extremely light, like he was one with the air. The white slowly faded away to reveal the balanced state he had initially achieved. He didn’t know if he was supposed to say or do anything, so he decided to just…exist. He spent a few more minutes in the state until he felt a pull away from it, and his senses of reality returned…

Robin’s eyes fluttered open at the same time as Raven’s. They locked eyes, his mildly surprised expression a contrast with her stoic face behind the hood. He noticed that she had sat on the ground, just like him, not levitating in the air like she normally did. The candles had all burned out except for two across from each other and directly in the middle of them.

“Raven,” he began. “I…”

“How do you feel?” she asked, not changing her expression. “Or, more accurately, what do you feel?” Robin thought and concentrated on his emotions, staring at Raven. He felt an eerie calm emanating off of the sorceress, and nothing more.

“Uh, peace?” Robin tried to articulate. “Or I guess, maybe like tranquility? It feels kind of weird. It’s almost too still.”

“Interesting,” Raven remarked, giving a small smile. “This _is_ how I usually feel after meditating. I didn’t know how it would be sensed by others, though. I can tell you right now you’re emanating confusion like a police siren.”

“It’s that obvious?” Robin said sarcastically. “So, like, what just happened? I saw your memories. Azarath, Arella, and Trigon. Then I heard someone say ‘the bond is complete’ and now we’re back here.”

“The bond _is_ complete,” Raven agreed. “You now have the same access to me as I do to you. The memories shared by the bond-bearer are the way in for the one who creates the bond. That’s why the first time you asked me about my birthday, even if I had wanted to let you in, it would’ve been impossible without this.”

“So how come you could do it to me without going through this?”

“There are many ways I can use my powers, Robin,” Raven replied, with a twinkle in her eyes.

“So I can help you more now,” Robin concluded. “I’ll be able to feel you, no matter where you are. We’ll be connected through our strongest memories and moments in life. Our essences are linked now.”

“Exactly,” Raven said, nodding.

“Can I test it?” Robin asked. “Can you pretend to get angry or something?”

“The emotions have to be pure, Robin,” Raven said, slightly amused. “You’ll learn how to discern what you’re feeling as you gain more experience. You’ll get more control over it. Right now, you won’t be able to feel anything. But if you focus on me, you can feel what I feel in that moment.”

“Hmm,” Robin mused. He got up and looked around her room. How many secrets did all these mysterious objects hold? What more was Raven capable of that none of them had ever known? “Well, I guess I should thank you,” he said, unsure of what to say. “It’s definitely a new experience for me. But I’m glad that we can be…closer because of this.”

“If it’s too weird for you, just let me know and I’ll figure out a way to sever it.”

“That’s not what I meant,” he quickly backtracked. “I definitely mean it when it’s new. I’m not sure how to quite handle it yet. Hopefully you can teach me how to use it like you do.”

“Mmhm,” Raven hummed. “It’s late. I’ve kept you for long enough. You should go.” She extinguished the remaining candles and got up to open her door.

“Raven,” Robin said, stopping her. She pulled her hood down and looked at him. “What I mean is, I really do appreciate this. I always knew we had a special connection, but I never knew it’d manifest itself as something like this. You know I’ll always be there for you. And I know you’d do the same for me. And I guess this is kind of a recognition of that.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” she said, nodding. “I value our connection too, Robin. From the day we met, I knew you were different.”

“You did?”

“Of course,” she said simply, not elaborating further.

“Honestly, I might have seen that in you too,” Robin surmised. “There was something about you that made me stop you from leaving that night. But I don’t know how to describe it.”

“You will figure it out,” Raven replied. “I’m sure of it.” Robin exited her room, walking out into the hallway before turning around.

“Could we maybe do some more meditating in the future?” he asked.

“Sure. I already do with Starfire whenever she wants to,” Raven concurred. “Good night, Robin.”

“Good night, Raven,” he responded, and she slid her door shut. He walked down the hallway back to his own room, not realizing how much time had passed since they had begun the meditation. It had felt like minutes in whatever dimension he had entered in his mind, but it had been hours in the tower. The sun had set and this was usually the time he spent working on new gadgets or monitoring the news for suspicious activity. The brooding detective heard the sound of the TV in the main room and went over to see who was still up. He saw Beast Boy sitting on the couch alone, watching some late-night cartoons.

“Oh hey, Robin,” Beast Boy greeted as he turned around. “You and Raven kind of disappeared after dinner.”

“I was meditating.”

“You now? Seems like soon we’re all gonna be chanting Azarath Metrion Zinthos and the tower will be deader than this channel,” Beast Boy grumbled.

“What are you doing up anyway?” Robin asked. “Don’t you usually watch earlier than this?”

“Cyborg went to fix up the T-Car like he always does. He never lets me near that thing. And Star is busy with her makeup in her room.”

“Well, I’m glad she found something to take her mind off things,” Robin said to himself. He sat down on the couch, the length of the day beginning to hit him. There was the early morning stuff with Star, combat practice, video games, and meditation. Robin began to notice just how long the days felt to him without any calls to respond to.

“You should get her some more makeup so she’s not sad,” Beast Boy commented as he started flipping channels again. “Although she seems to be handling it pretty well.”

“I don’t think now is the right time,” Robin said. He got up and made himself a PB&J, before noticing that there was still some coffee left in the pot. Robin only drank coffee when he needed the boost, most of the time maintaining a strict sleep schedule so he would have enough energy. Maybe a little boost was what he needed to sort through everything right now.

“Dude, late night coffee?” Beast Boy remarked groggily. “You’re gonna be up all night.”

“You should probably shut the TV off and get some rest yourself,” Robin laughed, as he microwaved his mug. “I’m going to go back to my room.”

“Just gotta finish this…last…episode…” Beast Boy moaned wearily. Robin shook his head, hoping he’d remember to turn the TV off, then went back to his room.

After a few minutes of fiddling with spare parts and sipping from leftover coffee, Robin decided he’d had enough. He wasn’t doing anything productive and it was getting late. He turned off the light and hopped into his simple bed with white sheets, staring at the ceiling. Raven’s bond…he wasn’t sure how he felt about it yet. He tried focusing, tried to feel her presence. At first, nothing. Slowly but surely, however, he felt the familiar calm feeling again. Was she always like this? He began to appreciate her more. Not many had the willpower to stay that calm for that long. His mind drifted to other things. Their way of life since finally wrapping up Dr. Light, the nagging worry about Slade in the back of his mind, the rocky times with Star. But most importantly, he thought, the increasing closeness to Raven. They’d always had each other’s backs, but he found himself drifting to her more and more for everything. Whether it was a serious conversation, small talk before breakfast, or light taunting, he was always comfortable around her. Even in silence, he could pick up what she was thinking about. She wasn’t bad looking either, by any means.

Robin frowned at the sudden turn in his mind. Why had he just thought of that? One moment, he was combing through the many intricacies of their relationship, and the next…normal teenage boy thoughts. Well, he couldn’t lie to himself. She was fairly beautiful. The primitive part of his brain directed his attention to her legs, and he shook his head. There was more to it than that. He gravitated towards her…mysteriousness. The reserved tendencies, cryptic parting words, and well-timed, yet occasionally riddle-like advice. She was beautiful in her own way.

* * *

The Boy Wonder hadn’t realized, but Raven was monitoring his emotions as well. She knew eventually he would figure out the nuances of the bond, but she was enjoying the little spy time she had where he still wouldn’t quite be able to read her emotions completely. She lay in bed as well, her cloak hanging on the bedpost and her hands supporting her head. She sensed a lot of confusion and questioning from him. He was trying to digest everything, take it from a big picture perspective. Not surprising. He was the type who wanted to know, or at least feel like, he was in control of everything, of his destiny at all times. In truth, she was starting to appreciate, to seek out his company more. Although she didn’t mind hanging out with the others, even Beast Boy, Robin was the only one who would never get on her nerves. She couldn’t remember the last time they had had an argument, and the few times they did fight came in the midst of stressful moments of fighting supervillains.

Raven picked up a sharp turn in his feelings. He went from pensiveness to…feeling affection? She blushed as she felt a little bit of his testosterone-fueled passion. Then, it faded to a more subtle, controlled sense of affection. He was quite clearly attracted, or at least involuntarily feeling those things, for someone. But who? It couldn’t have been Starfire. And he hadn’t really talked to anyone outside of the tower, let alone Jump City, lately.

 _Roll out the red carpet, sista!_ A voice rang out in her head and she caught a glimpse of a pink cloak in the corner of her eye. _Our very own Raven’s caught the eye of the hottest boy in town!_

_I swear I’m going to—_

_Hoo-wah! High fives all around!_ Brave Raven joined in. _First we’re gonna grab you the flashiest dress, then you’re gonna kiss him in front of everyone, and then—_

 _He doesn’t like us,_ a third voice interjected, as Raven saw a gray cloak dance in front of her. _He just thinks our legs are pretty._

 _As long as he buys us food,_ a fourth voice joined as Raven saw orange, _and doesn’t mind when we burp it up in his face._ Raven buried her face in her hands and let out a loud, lengthy groan. _That’s how you’re gonna sound,_ the orange Raven responded, _once he whips out his—_

 _Which one of you wants to be the first to join Father?_ Raven growled to her different personalities. They all quieted down and she rolled her eyes. _From now on, not a word out of any of you. I don’t want your advice with this nor do I want any comments. And if any of you disobeys, I will follow through._ She saw the orange cloak flash by quickly.

_I was going to say once he whips out his new R-Cycle._

* * *

“On air in one minute, Cyborg,” one of the technicians called out. Cyborg gave a thumbs up back and took a deep breath. His cooking show’s first season had been wildly popular, and then he hadn’t had time to continue during the Titans’ quest to take down the Brotherhood of Evil. Now he was back at it, and he had already prepared a whole season’s worth of recipes. Cyborg carefully inspected the utensils laid out in front of him, and made sure everything was in place. The signal was given and he started, with no looking back.

“Hello to everyone!” he boomed. “It’s been far too long! Chef Cy is back, and for our very first episode of our second season, I’ve got something special planned for y’all!” He tore open a bag of noodles and tossed them in a pot. “Many of y’all have been asking for my famous spaghetti and meatballs, and today I’m here to show you how you can _easily_ do this within the comforts of your own kitchen!” Over the next few hours, Cyborg narrated while quickly putting everything together. Dozens of cameramen operated the angles, making sure every detail was covered.

“Who doesn’t love meatballs?” Cyborg quipped as he grilled ground beef on the stovetop. “Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make my special mix of spices,” he continued, gesturing to an empty space where an ingredient list would eventually be edited in in the final cut. “But you know what’s better than meatballs? My TRIPLE MEAT SAUCE ON TOP OF THEM!” he shouted. A compartment in his body opened and various spatulas popped out. He stirred the sauce while simultaneously cooking the meat and managing the noodles. “Remember kids, not all of you can do this all at once like me,” he advised. “Make sure you follow the recipe just like I’ve demonstrated here, and you’ll be able to make some of my delicious spaghetti and meatballs in no time!” The half-robot took breaks while waiting for the food to finish cooking, and they filmed segments after that of him preparing the dish and putting the final touches on it. The entire filming lasted many hours, and even Cyborg was tired out by the end of it. Even though his own cooked dish had been sitting out in the light for a while and was probably bad now, he didn’t mind that they threw it away. After all, Cyborg didn’t reveal all of his secrets for the show. Just enough to make his dishes unique, but not enough to give them the love that his home-style cooking received and that made the Titans salivate _most_ of the time.

“Booyah!” he shouted as he quickly whipped out plates to the tasters. “Everything is the perfect texture and flavor. Dig in!” He folded his arms and smiled as the tasters all stared at it in wonder after trying it. The camera cut, and Cyborg dug in to the dish he had made before the filming for the tasters to try.

“Good work today,” the producer complimented, shaking his hand. “Are you free this same time next week to film the next episode?”

“Should be,” Cyborg confirmed. “Thanks for having me.”

“We’ll transfer your pay for this episode in about two weeks,” the producer told him. “If we stick to schedule and our plan you should get all your pay from this probably three months from now.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Cyborg agreed, as he walked out of the studio. He was paid $5000 an episode now since the show was so popular. Most of its popularity stemmed from him being a Teen Titan, but as people tried his recipes, they found that they were actually delicious, and more and more started tuning in. He whistled as he walked back to his T-Car, pressing a button on his arm to open the door. He rolled the windows all the way down and put on some banger hip-hop tracks, getting on the highway to drive back to the tower. It was a warm day for fall in Jump City and the cool breeze felt great. “I could get used to this life,” Cyborg said to himself, smiling.


	8. Birds on the Roof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The birds explore their relationship further, and it comes to head one night after Raven's work.

Two more hours to go. Raven was dressed in a dark polo shirt and matching pants, along with a full-length apron. For what seemed like the hundredth time, she sighed heavily as she went to go greet her next victims.

“Good evening,” she began, clearing her throat. “Welcome to La Sardine. I’m Raven and I’ll be your server tonight—”

“Wow!” a young kid exclaimed. It was a family of four, and the youngest one was the one piping up. “You’re Raven! Like, you live in the tower!”

“Yes, I do,” Raven said, irate. “Now, can I get you all something to dri—”

“What’s your secret identity?” The kid asked. “I know Robin wears the mask and Starfire’s real name is something Tamaranian and—”

“So, what can I get you all?” Raven asked, ignoring the kid.

“I’ll have a double shot of your tequila slammer, on the rocks, one fresh cut lemon slice, make sure you get the salt really sticky when it’s on the back of your hand before you put it in, and I’d like you to stir it for fifteen seconds counterclockwise.” Raven scribbled down all the details, but didn’t miss a chance to peek over the top of the notebook and glare at him while he was looking the other way. Why did people have to be so extra?

“Is Raven a secret identity?” the kid asked in his screeching chalkboard voice. “What’s your real name?”

“My name is Raven,” she responded, through gritted teeth.

“You gotta have a real name,” the kid insisted. “Every superhero has a secret identity.”

“My. Name. Is. Raven.”

“I don’t believe you. Even Beast Boy has a real name!”

“Sounds like you’ve been reading too many comic books,” Raven snorted. She glanced at both the parents, desperate for them to shut the kid up, but they were both engrossed in the menu.

“Water for the rest of us,” the mother told her, and Raven nodded, hurrying to the back. She went to go put the order in only to witness complete chaos. Dishes were piled high everywhere and the staff were trying to clean up a bunch of broken glass on the floor.

“Do I even want to know?” Raven muttered to herself.

“Madame Raven!” the manager called. His name was Jean-Phillippe Milhaud and he was extremely…attention-catching. “This eez a disaster! Please, take these dishes back to the dishwasher!”

“I didn’t sign up for dish duty,” Raven answered, glaring.

“I did not say you had to wash the dishes, now did I?” he replied. “I just want you to take them back! Here!” he said, shoving a pile of dishes in her hands. Raven groaned and went through the double doors to the back. She set the dishes down on the counter and was just about to leave when she spotted a flash of blue. Turning the corner, she saw…

“Aqualad?” Raven asked, confused. “What are you doing here?”

“Raven?” he jumped up, turning around. “I could ask the same of you.”

“We don’t get paid anymore. So guess who got the lucky task of finding the worst job in the city.”

“Somewhat same for me,” he said, shrugging, as he directed water with his hands to soak the dishes. “There’s nothing to do in Steel City. We’re working on setting up a summer home here and guess who got assigned to both clear the space for it and get a job while he’s at it.”

“And they let you still wear that?” Raven quipped, as he was still in the unitard he always wore. “Look at me!” she sighed, gesturing down at her uniform.

“Never seen you wear anything else,” he chuckled. “You look…interesting.” Raven rolled her eyes.

“So crazy Jean-Phillippe has a thing for Titans, I see,” Raven observed. “At least that’s what he told me during the interview.”

“I don’t even think he knows my name,” Aqualad replied. “He keeps calling me Water Boy. Maybe that’s what it translates to in French.”

“Cute,” Raven deadpanned. “Well, I should probably be going.” She turned before hearing a sudden gulp from Aqualad.

“Aah!” he cried, slowly backing away.

“What? What’s wrong?” Raven asked.

“Fish! Friends!” Aqualad exclaimed, covering his eyes and pointing. Raven looked around before seeing that he was pointing at the top plate in the stack Raven had dropped off. On it was a half-eaten piece of salmon.

“Fish?” Raven asked, confused. “Oh wait…”

“Get rid of it please?” Aqualad whimpered, turning away. “Rest in peace Brody. You’ll be missed…” Raven took a fork and scraped it into the trash before setting the plate back down.

“You’ll have to deal with it eventually, Pretty Boy,” Raven told him. “Get one of the other dishwashers to do it maybe.” She exited back into the front, only to find an angry Jean-Phillippe glaring at her.

“Madame Raven! If this nonsense continues for much longer, I will have no choice!”

“What did I do?” Raven exclaimed angrily.

“Your table has been asking for their drink,” he responded. “The tequila?”

“It’s been, like, three minutes!” she protested. “Maybe if you didn’t tell me to carry the dishes back I’d be done with it!”

“Ayeeeee, just go do it now,” he said, dismissing her. Raven’s forehead gem beat with anger and she walked over to do her next duty. She hated dealing with people, she hated being forbidden to use her powers to make things easier since it would be distracting, and she hated dealing with people. Did she mention she hated people? Raven sighed again.

_How did I end up here?_

* * *

_A few days earlier…_

Jump City’s temperature was steadily falling as winter drew closer, but it still never really got too cold, being as the city was right by the ocean. Raven awoke to the sound of a bird chirping outside and as usual, got the tea brewing and headed for the rooftop. Opening the door, the first thing she saw was a glimpse of the Boy Wonder’s black cape billowing in the wind.

“Morning,” she greeted, walking up to stand beside him.

“Hey Raven,” he said with a smile. They stood in silence for a minute, each pondering their own thoughts. Raven sensed the pensiveness from Robin she had detected the night she had completed the bond.

“Any plans for today?” she inquired.

“Not really,” he answered. “Looks like it’s gonna be another boring day. More training for me. Always gotta be prepared.”

“I still don’t have a job,” Raven grumbled. “I got rejected from the café.”

“That’s weird,” Robin said, stroking his chin. “I guess you could go interview for the jobs you have left?”

“Do I have to?” Raven sighed. “Cyborg’s already started filming the new season of his show.”

“City’s being a pain in the ass about dealing with us,” Robin explained. “They think they’ve given us enough over the years to survive. I just want to be safe.”

“Sure you do,” Raven drawled sarcastically.

“I do!”

“Your obsessiveness is getting on my nerves, Boy Blunder.”

“What obsessiveness?” Robin asked. “I’m not—”

“You might not notice it, but it definitely affects your actions,” Raven cut him off. “Trust me. I just know it’s there.”

“You…just know,” Robin repeated.

“Mmhm. Up here,” Raven said, tapping the side of her head.

“I’m not that obsessive.”

“Uh…” Raven raised her eyebrow. “Yeah you are.”

“Am not.”

“Trust me on this one. You can’t lie to yourself forever,” she chuckled. “But don’t worry. Eventually you’ll pick up on equally compromising things about me and I’m sure you’ll be a lot more annoying about it than I am.”

“What else does the bond do?” Robin asked curiously. “It’s gotta be for more than just feeling you, right?”

“The bond is supposed to be a simulation of the other person,” Raven replied. “It grows stronger through interactions. I know this sounds like you would just be able to feel my emotions better, but I assure you it’s more than just that. You’ll find out in due time the reaches of what it can do.”

“So I’ll be able to feel your pain when you end up working at that waitress job,” Robin said, smirking. She frowned.

“I will not work at that job. I don’t care if I’m running out of options, I won’t do it.”

“Would you rather work at a magic show?” His words made her pause, and she humphed as she thought about it.

“I would barely, barely take the restaurant job over doing cheap magic tricks. I can’t stand that type of shit at all. People get so entertained by fake magic.”

“There you go,” Robin said. “Hopefully, if you get the job, then you can start helping us out.”

“Yeah, whatever.” The sun peeked over the horizon and the light breeze continued, blowing their cape and cloak respectively to one direction.

“Do you wanna go for a walk?” Robin asked suddenly. “Later today. In the park. If we’re gonna be bored, might as well be bored in a different setting.” Raven looked at him curiously.

“Sure, I guess,” she hesitantly responded. “I’m not gonna do anything besides read and meditate today anyway. And maybe prep for my interview tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he said, smiling.

“Did you want the others to come?” she asked tentatively. She saw and felt Robin tense up. “I mean, I figured you didn’t, but I thought I’d make sure.”

“Uh, yeah, I’d prefer them not to come,” he stammered. “I was gonna just chat with you a little more about, uh, the bond.”

“Makes sense,” she said, nodding. “Just let me know when you wanna go and I’ll be there.”

“Great,” Robin confirmed, and they both started their way back down into the tower.

As they went their respective ways, Raven to grab her tea and waffles and Robin to start frying some bacon and eggs, they each had their own thoughts about what had just transpired.

 _Did he just ask me out?_ Raven wondered to herself. No, it couldn’t be. Robin was the most blunt person on the team besides her. Well, Starfire was too, but that was mostly accidental. If Robin wanted it to be a date, he would’ve said so. He just said he wanted to take a walk in the park, and ask some more stuff about their bond. Nothing super unusual. Then again, she’d witnessed his whole saga with Starfire firsthand. He got really clammy whenever there was an important move to make or something to address. But he hadn’t seemed that awkward when he asked either, even if it came out less than smooth. Raven took a sip of her tea, the warmth and vegetal taste sending feelings of easiness throughout her body, down to her toes. She would go and see how it worked out from there.

Robin certainly hadn’t meant to ask Raven on a date, nor did he think it was one. But he was secretly anxious that he was giving off that impression. _Does Raven even do love?_ He thought, panicking to himself. _She’s totally gonna think this is a date. And then she’ll either laugh or be disappointed in me._ Robin frowned as he fried the bacon. No. He was probably going to be fine, actually. Raven wasn’t one to latch onto any hint and take it as a sign of destined love. She probably didn’t care too much, in all honesty. He hadn’t made it sound like a date, and he was determined it wasn’t one. It would be fine. The young detective had merely wanted to satisfy his curiosity. To pick the brain of possibly the smartest, yet most mysterious member of his beloved team.

The two birds took the R-Cycle to the park, Robin making sure to activate the security systems on the bike so no thief would get any bright ideas once they both got off. It was a weekday, so the park was relatively empty. A few families played with a frisbee or played fetch with their dog, while some others utilized the breeze to its fullest to fly kites. Robin and Raven took the long, winding path that spanned the perimeter of the park, which would take them through the wooded area and back around.

“So,” Raven started. “What did you want to know about the bond?”

“I wouldn’t say about the bond specifically,” Robin replied. “More like, about…what I saw. If you don’t mind, of course.”

“You’re going to have to be more specific than that.”

“Well, um…” Robin paused. He didn’t want to say anything that would potentially offend her, especially about her previous life on Azarath. But in truth, he was just genuinely curious about her past experiences.

“You want to know about Azarath?” Raven asked, as if reading his mind.

“Yeah. You used the—”

“No,” Raven said simply. “I didn’t. Just a hunch. Everyone’s always wondering about that place.”

“You seemed very happy there,” Robin commented, as they began heading into the woods.

“A smile can hide a lot of pain, Robin,” she said softly. He nodded.

“Ever since the day you were born…you knew,” he finished.

“They didn’t care,” she said thoughtfully. “They knew full well what they were getting into. But they saw something in me.”

“They weren’t the only ones,” Robin reminded her. “You are special, Raven. Why else would we all sacrifice so much for you?”

“I…don’t know,” she admitted. “I’ve never thought I was special. I’ve always felt like a burden. Both the stuff I have to deal with and what others have to deal with to have me.”

“When someone’s special to you, you don’t feel that,” Robin said, as they slowed their pace to a relaxed stroll.

“Perhaps. But that doesn’t stop you from feeling the guilt.”

“Azarath,” Robin stated. “Is it still…?”

“Gone,” Raven replied simply. “That was the price they paid. And that was almost the price my new home paid too,” she said, gesturing to the skies above.

“I’m sorry,” Robin said quietly.

“What are you apologizing for?” Raven asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not the literal incarnation of evil.”

“I can still feel for you,” Robin responded. “It’s especially true now,” he said, tapping at his chest where his heart was. “No, I don’t know what it’s like. But I know that pain is a universal language.”

“I thought I’d never get to see this again,” Raven said wistfully, looking at the sky.

“There’s a lot of things we don’t think we’ll get to see,” Robin mused. “Here I am, across the country from where I grew up. I didn’t know I’d end up here. When I left, I didn’t even know where I was going.”

“And having a utility belt and world-class training didn’t help,” Raven remarked with her trademark dryness.

“Well, in all honesty, not really,” Robin said, laughing a little. “It just dresses up your problems and makes them look like they’re not something you have to deal with. It’s just like the smile. The mask doesn’t get rid of the problems the eyes show.”

“Mmm.” Raven hmmed as they continued walking. “We were both taken in young. Given a shot.”

“One chance is all you need,” Robin said. “The past is the past. That’s what I’ve spent my entire life doing—making the most of this chance. Being toughened by the past, and using it for a better future.”

“We’re all here because of those chances,” Raven observed. “Cyborg and his tech, Starfire escaping war, and Beast Boy joining a new team.”

“That’s what makes us tick,” Robin said, smiling. They stopped at a bench in the middle of the wooded area, right in the quietest part of the park. “Wanna sit down for a bit.”

“Sure.” Raven shrugged and they sat down, getting a view of the park through the trees.

“Did Batman make you design your gadgets separately?” Raven quipped. Robin looked at her in surprise, not expecting a question like that.

“He kind of started it, and I just went along with it,” he explained. “He didn’t want just a knockoff of whatever he had. I had to be different enough. Seemingly the same, but not as similar to him in reality. Helped keep the edge against whoever we fought.”

“Interesting,” Raven said, staring into the distance. Even though she seemed like she was spacing out, Robin knew full well she was still completely alert.

“Yeah. I appreciated it when I finally left. I made everything in here even more different. More _me._ ” They sat in silence for a few minutes, the occasional rustling of leaves the only sound that cut through the peace of the woods.

“Ready to go?” Raven finally asked, standing up. Robin nodded and stood up, following her to the clearing that would lead back into the open space. They walked the rest of the way back, chatting about small things like the upcoming winter, if it could be called that, and new ways to handle their fame. Luckily, they hadn’t run into any crazy admirers, and the few people who had recognized them had politely asked for an autograph or photo. In the end, Raven couldn’t be convinced to get in a picture, so she always took them while Robin and his fans got together. The late afternoon sun beat down on them by the time they were finished, and Raven wrapped his arms around Robin as they sped back to the tower on the R-Cycle.

Raven begrudgingly interviewed for the restaurant job on Robin’s wishes, meeting the eccentric man Jean-Phillippe Milhaud, the manager of the place who ran on seemingly unlimited energy. The interview lasted 10 minutes before he explained that the place was struggling and that the use of a Teen Titan would hopefully bring some traffic back. He promised that Raven wouldn’t be used as a giant highway ad, rather he hoped that people would spread the news by word-of-mouth. The empath spent the next few days completing all her training, not enjoying a single second of it. Finally, she was ready to start working, and of course, Jean-Phillippe being the person he was, put her to work immediately.

* * *

Raven finished her shift at last and immediately flew back to Titans Tower. She quickly made a run for her room, discarding the uniform and stepping into the shower. She let the warm water flow down her body, washing away her grime and her stress and disdain about the job. After what felt like an eternity, she stepped out, throwing on a fresh leotard and cloak and heading for the main room. The other four Titans were all situated there, with Starfire playing video games with Beast Boy and Robin and Cyborg making dessert. Raven could tell it was some kind of cake by the ingredients on the counter. Starfire let out a whoop of joy from the couch, and she glanced sideways to see Beast Boy fuming and her pumping her fists. The alien had gotten a lot better with time. Although she and Robin still didn’t talk as much as they used to, it was beginning to feel more…normal being around her again.

“Hey, Raven,” Robin greeted. “You finished up just in time for this cake. Cyborg and I are making—”

“Only the best cake to ever grace this tower!” Cyborg interrupted. “Double chocolate, brownie stuffed, velvety goodness!”

“So, uh, how was your first day?” Robin asked, ignoring Cyborg.

“Awful,” Raven snapped.

“Aw come on, Raven,” Beast Boy called from the couch, pausing the game. He and Starfire hopped up to join them around the counter. “I’ve always thought waiting could be fun.”

“There’s messes everywhere. The people are idiots. And the manager is going to drive me insane.”

“Oh come on, Raven. Don’t tell me you can’t handle the fame,” Beast Boy teased.

“Yeah, this one kid reminded me a lot of you,” Raven snarled. “Kept asking for my ‘secret identity’.”

“You mean—you don’t have a secret identity?” Beast Boy asked, confused.

“No,” Raven replied exasperatedly.

“But everyone has one!” Beast Boy objected. Raven facepalmed. “Come on, Raven. I bet it’s something cool like ‘Rachel Roth’.”

“You’ve definitely been reading too many comic books.”

“Cut it out,” Robin interjected. “Were there at least any enjoyable parts?”

“Aqualad is a dishwasher there,” Raven announced, to the surprise of the Titans. “Yeah, I know. Apparently Titans East want to build a summer home here and he got to be the lucky one to do the grunt work.”

“Our friend of the water is well-suited to this job of washing the circular plates and bowls,” Starfire commented.

“Cake’s done!” Cyborg shouted, as the oven suddenly went off. He pulled out the cake from the oven, the fragrant smell wafting up and hitting the young heroes. “Time to finish this thing off! Robin, will you do the honors?”

“Sure thing,” Robin replied, grabbing the tube of frosting from Cyborg and completing the layer. Cyborg cut the cake and handed everyone a slice. Raven picked at her slice while the others dug in voraciously. Even after not eating dinner, she still wasn’t hungry. Cyborg said something in Tamaranian to Starfire, who burst out laughing and sprayed bits of cake everywhere. Beast Boy started complaining and the havoc only grew worse from there.

“What’s wrong?” Robin asked, sitting down next to her.

“Nothing,” she grumbled.

“It’s something,” Robin insisted. “Rough day?”

“Rough is an understatement. And now these three clowns won’t shut up,” she muttered, gesturing to the other Titans.

“Let’s go out,” Robin decided. “To the pier. Fresh air and nighttime.”

“The pier at the night is possibly the only place louder than here right now,” Raven snorted.

“We don’t have to go to the carnival and stuff. We can just walk along the beach and docks,” Robin offered. “Come on. I can feel it, remember? I just want to ease your mind a little.”

“Fine,” Raven sighed, getting up.

“We’re gonna go get some air,” Robin called back to the others.

“Can we have your seconds then?” Beast Boy asked.

“Go ahead.” Robin and Raven went down to the garage and Robin fired up his R-Cycle, speeding to the nearby pier where they had had many of their initial adventures and fights.

The smell of the ocean was evident even in the light evening breeze as the two walked along the beach. Robin noticed that Raven was walking a bit absentmindedly, staring straight ahead.

“Feel a little better?” he inquired.

“I don’t know,” she said boredly. “I’m too numb at this point to care.”

“Was it really that bad? I mean, I know people can be annoying, but was there anything particularly unpleasant?”

“Well…I guess not,” she admitted. “Maybe I’m just not used to it yet.”

“People are difficult,” he chuckled. “And I’m guessing you’re a little too smart for them. You gotta learn how to speak their language.”

“So you’re saying, I have to be Beast Boy.”

“Well, not exactly. It’s a different type of…unsophisticated.”

“I’ll figure it out, I guess,” she said, kicking a rock. “How much longer do you need me to do this?”

“If everything works out, not for much longer.” He felt a sudden rush of relief in her. “But no matter what, it’s a good experience for you.”

“Yes, building character, learning to deal with people, blah blah blah,” she counted off. “Very useful.”

“It might not be obvious now, but it’ll help you later,” he advised. They reached the docks and began walking towards the edge.

“Yes, knowing 30 different kinds of mixed drinks is definitely going to help when I inevitably end up at a bar in a few years when it’s 4 AM and want to get hammered,” she drawled. Robin couldn’t help but crack up, and she looked at him like he was a weirdo.

“Sorry,” he said after a moment, regaining his composure. “That mental image popped into my head and…” He chuckled a little more. This time he managed to elicit a smile, albeit a quick and small one, from the empath.

“You have an odd sense of humor, Boy Blunder.”

“Or maybe you have an odd way of delivering it.” The two reached the edge and Robin motioned for them to sit down, their legs hanging above the water. Raven folded her arms and gazed at the full moon in the distance.

“So how long did you plan on being here?” Raven asked, as they both faced the horizon.

“I don’t know,” he replied, shrugging. “As long as it…feels right, I guess.”

“Hm,” Raven mmm’ed. The breeze picked up and she put up her hood, preventing her hair from blowing everywhere. “It’s nice here.”

“Told you,” Robin said, smiling. “I love the night, and the ocean is always nice. It’s the perfect combination.”

“I don’t spend much time by the ocean,” Raven said, thinking aloud. “We literally live on an island and I’ve only been this close a few times before. Never really sat down near it.”

“So this was perfect,” Robin finished. “I knew you’d enjoy the ocean.”

“How so?”

“The ocean’s got many different sides. The waves can be calm, or they can be stormy. There’s tons of danger lurking underneath the surface. But no matter what happens, the waves will always return to being calm eventually. It’s kind of like its own balance.”

“We should meditate near the ocean,” Raven suggested. “I think it’d help a lot, actually.”

“Of course,” Robin agreed. The two watched the waves lap against the dock, before the breeze picked up, blowing both their capes up. Raven wrapped her cloak tightly around her. “Do you want to go now?” Robin asked. “It’s getting late and chilly.”

“No,” Raven responded. “I’d like to stay for…a little longer.” Robin nodded and the two huddled closer to each other, conserving some heat. Raven’s teeth began to chatter. At first the Boy Wonder was surprised, as even though he was cold, he wasn’t freezing, but then he remembered how little Raven wore already. His suit, on the other hand, was heat-conserving, among the many other handy features it had.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go?” Robin offered again. “I mean, you might get sick if we stay out much longer…”

“A little breeze won’t bother me,” Raven insisted. “It’ll go away in a few minutes.” She curled herself together even tighter, and Robin was starting to get worried. He knew she was extremely self-reliant and wouldn’t accept help, even at this point. He couldn’t bear to see her carry on much longer pretending it was okay. Especially since it was _Raven._

Robin took his cape with his arm and wrapped his arm around her in one motion, covering her with most of his cape. She glanced at him momentarily, a little surprised, but didn’t react otherwise. The two birds huddled closer, Raven pressing closer into his chest. She was leaning into him and he was sitting up straight, trying to accommodate as much of her body as possible. The breeze had slowed down, but the temperature was dropping as the night grew longer.

The back of Raven’s head was pressed against Robin’s chest as they both continued gazing across the ocean. She had leaned sideways into him naturally, allowing him to cover her with more of his cape. She could feel his heart beating, even through his uniform. The rhythmic pulses lulled her into a calm, and it felt…nice. She felt a warm happiness float up inside her. A smile slowly spread across her face. She knew this moment was special.

Robin had wrapped both of his arms around her waist. He had carefully paid attention to the best way to maximize their warmth. Even though his back was now cold, he knew it was worth it to keep her toasty. After a few more shifts around, they found a comfortable position. The clouds parted to reveal the moon in full view. Although the light from the celestial sphere shone down on the bay, Robin’s attention wasn’t focused on that. Rather, he was paying full attention to the girl in front of him. _She’s beautiful,_ he thought. _Not just her looks. Her entire being._ Beneath the cloak, secretiveness, and mystery, there was a thoughtful, loyal, and occasionally sassy young woman who was like his other hand.

Raven could sense the affection…no, the love that Robin was feeling. She blushed briefly, and then focused on her own emotions. He would be able to feel her too. She felt admiration. He was brave, stubborn, obsessive. But above all, he stayed true to himself. _That takes a lot of courage,_ she thought. Not just himself. His closest friends as well. She thought about all the times he had checked on her, had listened to her seemingly insignificant problems, had _been there when she needed him._ She had told him he understood her better than anyone, and she had meant it. _He’s cute too,_ Happy reminded her. She rolled her eyes, but it was true. He was in peak physical shape and was blessed with his looks to begin with anyway.

The two Titans sat in silence for a long time, the park behind them slowly emptying and the last visitors to the beach retreating for the night. Robin was the first to let go of their embrace. They both got up, feeling a little intial chill from suddenly losing their shared warmth.

“We should go,” he said simply. She nodded and they walked back to where his R-Cycle was parked. It was unusually quiet between the two, even for them. They arrived back at the tower, the other three long having gone to their rooms for the night. Robin and Raven entered the main room, standing side by side. They had done a good job of cleaning up, and mostly everything was spotless.

“Robin?” Raven asked. “Follow me.” He nodded and walked behind her, following up to the rooftop. She stepped towards the edge while he stood near the door.

“What is it?” he asked tentatively.

“Robin…” she turned around. “What are we?”

Robin inhaled sharply. He didn’t know what to do.

“Friends,” he threw out. “Best friends.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “We’re more than that, Robin. We both know that.”

“I…” Robin walked closer to her, taking her hands. They looked at each other, Robin sensing confusion and anxiety in her eyes. “I don’t know.”

“Me neither,” she replied quietly.

“Raven…” he breathed. He saw all their moments together flash before his eyes. She was looking straight back, wide-eyed. He remembered her words.

_It’s okay to be decisive. Sometimes you don’t need to think it over long and hard. Just do what feels right._

He slowly wrapped his hands around her waist, bringing her closer. The last thing he saw was her eyes, opening ever wider. He closed his eyes as he felt his lips connect with hers, an electric feeling running down his spine. Her lips were soft and warm, and he brought a hand up to brush her cheek. After a few more seconds, he broke free, bringing both his arms back.

She stared at him, still wide-eyed and shocked. He immediately started panicking internally, feeling a tremendous wave of regret. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then, he spoke.

“I shouldn’t have done that…”

“Robin…” she said softly.

“I’m sorry, Raven,” he said, choking up.

“Robin, no,” she said, trying to stop him.

“I’m so sorry,” he repeated, backing away. She put a hand up towards him, but he started picking up his pace.

“Robin!” she cried.

“I never meant to do this to you,” he said quietly. “I don’t want you to be hurt. I’m sorry.” He closed the door behind him, ignoring her calls of his name behind him. He hurried back to his room, getting inside and sitting down on the bed, defeated. He buried his head in his hands, feeling frustration, fear, and worry. What had he done?


	9. Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The birds make a promise to take it slow for now, but leave room for maybe more.

Needless to say, it had taken Raven quite a bit longer than usual to regain her composure. She had stared at him after he let go, mind still processing what had just happened. Then he’d gone off and…done that. She tried to call back for him, to sit down and try to make sense of themselves. He took her paralysis for disapproval and ran off, mortified. She sighed as she walked back down the stairs. _Boys._

Raven reached Robin’s door and knocked, knowing he was brooding in there.

“Robin,” she stated. No response. She knocked again after a few moments and waited. “Robin,” she repeated, a little more forcefully this time. Still no response. She knew he was in there, but also knew it’d be a bad idea to force the issue now. Trying for a final time, she knocked loudly on the door. She waited another minute before giving up and retreating to her own room. Raven decided to approach him first thing in the morning.

As the empath restlessly flipped around on her own bed, she tried to make sense of the night. For once, she was lacking in answers. Truthfully, it hadn’t been his fault to act on his feelings and kiss her. It was probably hers for giving the wrong signal. _I shouldn’t have asked him that,_ she thought. _Just because it’s what I want doesn’t mean it’s what’s best._ However, as she thought about their night, her mind kept drifting back to how much she had wanted more of those moments.

Raven couldn’t deny her emotions at this point. She loved him. She had felt something new as they were huddling at the dock. It was a joyous, warming feeling. She felt safe curled up in his arms, felt like she wasn’t…lonely anymore. The Boy Wonder cared about her a lot, but not just like any friend; he went above and beyond for her. The question was, now, whether he reciprocated those feelings. She’d spent the entire ride back contemplating how to get the answer out of him. Now, she regretted being so impatient. She’d set the ball rolling and it was very difficult to stop now. But, the kiss had been nice. She’d felt her entire body tingle with pleasure and she missed the feeling already. _Stop it!_ She told herself. _This mess is nowhere close to being fixed. Worry about that stuff later._ Regrouping, she thought about how to best approach everything. She should probably start by acknowledging both of their volatile current emotional states. She’d be careful not to send the wrong impression again or upset him further. She suspected that even though he had already been through the whole Starfire saga, he still wasn’t used to dealing with this type of stuff either. Sighing, Raven pulled the sheets closer. _Feelings are messy. Of course I’m the one getting hit with them the most._

Raven got very little sleep, not remembering when she finally closed her eyes but definitely waking up at her usual time. Not bothering with any other little things, she quickly threw on her cloak and headed for Robin’s room.

“Okay, let’s try this again,” she muttered to herself. She knocked on the door gently, not wanting to cause too much of a racket. She waited a few minutes, and still no response. Somehow she doubted that he would be anywhere else in the tower at this moment. She knocked again and waited, folding her arms. Still no response. She sighed exasperatedly. _I didn’t wanna have to do this._ She opened a portal, crossing through the door and straight into his room.

“Robin,” she said sternly. He was sitting on the bed, clearly sleep-deprived by the looks of it. He glanced up at her in surprise, seeing her in his room.

“Raven…” he began. “I—”

“Robin,” she cut him off, sitting down next to him.

“I’m sorry,” he said simply. “I did something I shouldn’t have. I fucked up.”

“That’s not why I’m here,” she replied quietly, tilting his chin up. “And,” she added with a bitter chuckle, “If you hadn’t run away…we could’ve talked about this earlier.”

“My bad,” he responded, cracking a small, sad smile. “The look on your face…I thought I got carried away.”

“No. I did,” she corrected. He looked at her in confusion. She took his hand, removing the glove and cupping it with both of hers. “Last night…was a special moment for me, Robin.”

“It was for both of us. But I acted on that moment and that was stupid, and—”

“No. I forced your hand,” Raven said quietly. She absentmindedly traced her fingers in his palm, contemplating how to explain it to him. “Robin. How do you think I feel love?”

“Uh, well…” he murmured, trying to think of an answer. “I’d say it probably feels a lot more intense to you, being an empath and all.”

“Not my own qualities,” she said, shaking her head. “More like who I am.” She gazed outside his window. “My whole life, I haven’t been able to love. Love has been my greatest guilt. I’ve taken it from those who care about me, knowing that I’d be destined to hurt them eventually. I couldn’t bear opening up too much to anyone. It all seemed inevitable that they’d be ripped from my life, and I’d be back to where I started.”

“It’s different now,” Robin reminded her. “And it’s new to you knowing that’s not the case anymore.”

“I told myself nobody could or would ever fall in love with me,” Raven said sadly. “Could, because this will always be a part of me,” she said, tapping on her forehead gem. “No matter how much I try, there will always be this evil that’s a part of me. Would, because I wouldn’t let them. I couldn’t let anyone in that closely. They’d eventually get burned. And that would be another thing that I’d have to hold onto.”

“The closest I ever got was Malchior,” she continued. “It seemed like he could solve all my problems. He taught me lots of things, not just spells and incantations. He gave me belief that I could shift my path, even if just a little bit. He believed in me. And then it all turned out to be a lie.” Robin wove his fingers in between hers and clenched her hand, trying to provide comfort. “Last night, I kind of felt that…again. The feeling of soaring. Of being free. Free to experience what it’s like to get to share everything with someone you care about deeply. And I realized that you are special, Robin. And…I was afraid.”

“Afraid of what?” Robin asked.

“Afraid of losing you. It sounds stupid, I know. But when that’s all you’ve known your whole life, it’s hard to shake,” she said, smiling sadly.

“Raven,” Robin murmured. “You won’t lose me. I promise. I’ll take care of you.”

“I forced your hand, Robin,” she said. “When I asked you about what we were…I was panicking. I didn’t want my feelings to lead me to nowhere, but I also didn’t want to let go of them…I had to have an answer.”

“I understand,” he replied. “I absolutely get it. What I did was still…too sudden. And then I probably confused you further.”

“It was definitely a restless night,” she admitted.

“For both of us,” he agreed.

“Robin…when we hugged. When you kept me warm. It kind of sent all my feelings rolling. And now we’re here.”

“Raven,” he said softly. He looked into her eyes, the storm of emotions showing through her vulnerable look.

“I think…” Raven began. “I think we need to take a step back. And take small steps forward. See if it’s right for us.”

“Raven. I…I feel like you’re the one.”

“I feel the same way about you. But that’s now. Feelings change, Robin,” she reminded him. “You felt Starfire was the one too.”

“You’re right,” he agreed. “We can take it slow. Go on a few dates, see how we feel. Then we can decide if we want this to be more…permanent.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said with a small smile.

“We’re still friends?” he asked. “I mean, this won’t change anything between us?”

“Robin, we have a bond,” she said, a little teasingly. “Even if I never wanted to think about you again it’s kind of impossible.”

“I don’t want to lose our friendship. If anything goes wrong,” he said worriedly.

“Our bond is too strong,” she said quietly. “Not just the one we created, but our friendship as well. We’ve been through a lot, Robin. It won’t just disappear.” He looked up at her soft, yet determined eyes, and felt a sense of hope course through him.

“You promise?”

“I do.”

“Good. Because I’m making the same promise to you too,” he said determinedly. They embraced, the sorceress wrapping her arms tightly around him. She felt surprisingly warm in his arms, and he closed his eyes, letting the relief, even if temporary, wash over him. After a minute or so, they let go, and turned to face the window in his room. Robin wrapped his arm around her as they watched the morning sun in the distance wake Jump City to another day. After a while, Raven got up to go back to her room, and Robin sat alone, still taking everything in. Raven had pure, raw feelings for him. And as he sat, he realized that his own were bubbling to the surface as well. Raven might have been hit with her feelings, but she still wasn’t unreasonable. _We should take it slow,_ he agreed in his mind. _See how it goes._ He remembered quickly falling out of interest with Starfire after a few weeks, and hoped this time would be different. No…it felt different. Not just because of the bond, but because they already connected on a deep, complex level. The road ahead was unclear, but he was convinced it was worth it.


	10. Just Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The birds take their first date to the ice skating rink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New username, same works, fyi.
> 
> 2017 me: haha wouldn't it be cute if I made a reference to the planned Cyborg movie in 2020
> 
> 2021 me to 2017 me: OH NO BABY WHAT IS YOU DOIN

A few days of relative awkwardness passed. A moment of brief eye contact here, followed by an embarrassed smile. A brush of the shoulders there and a nervous laugh. Although the two birds had made an agreement, it still didn’t feel real to either of them. Perhaps it was the acknowledgement of the situation, or the suddenness after a time of turmoil for Robin. Either way, the air around the two had definitely changed.

Raven poured a mug of her usual tea and sat down at the counter, her eyes lazily skimming over the front page of the newspaper. Starfire stood at the stovetop, cooking some Tamaranian stew while Beast Boy and Cyborg sat on the couch, flipping channels. Record for Grand Slams broken, man tries to rob bank with a lasso, more insight on current presidential administration…Raven yawned. The news was a steady stream of the same story.

“Dude, did you see that?” Beast Boy exclaimed, his eyes transfixed to the TV. “They’re making a movie about you!”

“Say what?” Cyborg answered confusedly.

“That’s right, dude. In 2020!”

“What?! That is such a long time away!” Cyborg declared indignantly.

“Please, friends,” Starfire interjected. “I am sure Cyborg’s recent success on his cooking show has made him more popular, and the creators of the extended moving pictures wish to capture what makes him…tick, as you all would say.”

“Alright, team,” Robin announced as he entered into the main room. “Finish up breakfast quick. We’re gonna hit the training course hard today since we’ve been going easy the last few days. If none of us messes up, we get through this quicker.” Cyborg and Beast Boy groaned and reluctantly got up from the couch while Starfire hurried to finish her stew. Raven sat still, staring at the remaining liquid in her mug. She almost didn’t feel the light tap on her shoulder at first, realizing it only after the second touch. She glanced sideways, catching a glimpse of his green glove as he pulled it back.

“I was thinking,” he began in a quiet voice. “We don’t have anything planned tonight. Do you maybe want to…”

“Maybe,” she replied. Maybe Robin was just imagining things, but was there a hint of…playfulness in her voice? Raven never did playful. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. You know if we stay here we’re going to either be subject to a TV marathon or a trip to the arcade or mall.”

“So avoid those places for our potential…hangout,” Robin said with a smile.

“Hang-out,” Raven drawled, putting up quotation marks with her fingers. Robin sighed.

“You know what I mean.”

“We can discuss this later, Boy Blunder,” she said lowly, eyeing around to see that the other three were still preoccupied. “After training, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan,” he agreed.

Cyborg fired up the training course and begrudgingly set the difficulty level to Extreme as ordered by Robin, and the team lined up at their spots. In his trademark seriousness, Robin had demanded that their training grow more intense to make up for the recent lack of action. The course was now custom designed for each of the five Titans, and they would go through one by one. Beast Boy was up first, with the course quickly shifting landscapes to test his adaptability and reaction times for transforming. The other Titans went through their courses with varying degrees of success until only Raven was left. She exhaled and put her hood up as the course changed to fit her. Raven’s course was designed to test the limit of her powers as well as put her through more physical challenges than she was used to. She heard the signal and started running as bumpers popped up to try to trip her up. She surpassed the first part and arrived at the second, where a giant slab of stone blocked the path. Focusing, she closed her eyes and held both hands out.

“Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!” she yelled, slowly lifting the block in the air. Just as she was about to hurl it to the side, the blasters popped up and started firing. The sorceress grunted and put one hand up to shield herself, while the block dropped precariously lower. Mustering her remaining strength, she lifted the block up again and tossed it to the side, making her way through the blaster fire with her shield. She reached the end of the course after a few more obstacles, dragging her feet to the finish.

“Good work, everyone,” Robin commented, looking at the times on the screen. “We managed to collectively shave 25 seconds off our previous times. Let’s shoot for another best next week. Combat practice up next!”

 _Screw him,_ Raven thought. _Looks like I’ll be doing laundry sooner than expected this week._ The team sparred for a solid hour, and although they knew each other’s tendencies inside out, it pushed them to improve and come up with new fighting techniques. Afterwards, Raven retreated to her room, taking a long shower in cold water to cool her off. She threw on a fresh leotard and cloak and laid down on the bed for a minute, before getting up to meditate. She was 15 minutes in before a knock at the door came. Opening one eye in annoyance, she decided not to go get the door. Besides, she had a feeling she already knew who it was.

“Come in,” she called from her bed. The door slid open and Robin took a few steps in before closing the door behind him.

“Are you not hungry?” he asked.

“I am, but I have to finish meditating. My focus is more important than my hunger.”

“You should really get something to eat. We worked hard today.”

“Speak for yourself,” she muttered. “But you didn’t come here because you were worried about me being hungry, now did you?”

“No, I didn’t,” he admitted. “So, about tonight—”

“What do you want to do?” she asked.

“To be honest, I don’t really know. I don’t really wanna be cliché and just go to a movie or something…”

“Or the pier,” she added. “Okay, so two most cliché places off the list. What else?”

“There’s some new virtual reality game center that just opened up,” he offered.

“Video games are pointless,” she shot down, shaking her head.

“It’s not a video game,” Robin protested. “Think of it like a simulation.”

“Video games are simulations. Just not in 3D.”

“Point taken,” Robin sighed. “Maybe one of your cafes you like?”

“You don’t have to do this for me, Robin,” Raven told him. “Let’s try to find something that will keep us both happy.”

“Ice skating, maybe?” Robin suggested. She visibly perked up at the option. “The rink will be busy this time of year, but it won’t be too bad tonight.”

“Interesting,” she murmured. “I’ve never been before.”

“You’ll fall more times than not. No using your powers,” he teased.

“Let’s do it,” she said annoyedly, as if wanting to prove him wrong. “I can’t be much worse than you. How many times have you been?”

“Enough to handle myself,” he responded. “We should dress appropriately. It’ll be cold on the ice.”

“And hopefully no one will notice us without our usual clothes,” she added.

“We’ll go after dinner?” he asked. “We can take the R-Cycle there, spend a few hours. Have a good time.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she agreed, nodding her head. “Can’t wait to _hang out._ ”

“It’s a date,” he said, irate. “Are you happy now? We’re going on a date.”

“I’ll meet you tonight,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes. Robin smiled and left her to meditate.

The Boy Wonder breathed a sigh of relief as he went back to his own room. He figured that he would have to make a move soon, and he didn’t know what to expect from her reaction. Judging by it, he had done a decent enough job. The empath had been on his mind nonstop, and ironically, even trying some of her meditation techniques hadn’t helped him. He had circled this date on his calendar, seeing as it was a free night, but couldn’t get close enough to her over the past few days to have a moment to ask. Finally, he ran out of time to procrastinate and had to spring the question. Robin opened his closet, searching for his non-uniform clothes to put on. He settled on an old sweatshirt and pair of jeans, and kicked back, biding his time until the night.

After dinner, Robin nodded at Raven, and she began to follow him into the hallway.

“Hey, where you guys going?” Beast Boy commented. They both froze and looked at each other. Robin scolded himself for not being smarter. _You knew the others would ask._

“We’re gonna go and, uh, get some fresh air,” he quickly lied.

“You two have been getting a _lot_ of fresh air lately,” Beast Boy said sarcastically.

“Nothing personal,” Raven interrupted. “But I’d rather not stay here watching you enter more tofu contests and binge watch whatever stupid late night cartoons are on.”

“Let it go, B,” Cyborg said, patting his shoulder. “Starfire and I were gonna go check out that new virtual reality game center anyway. You can tag along.” Raven shot a sideways _I told you that was a bad date idea_ glance at Robin, who shrugged a little.

“Well, if you guys don’t mind, we’ll be on our way,” Robin said. “Don’t stay out too late.” The two Titans walked into the corridor, the door closing behind them.

“I would’ve expected someone with your acumen to be a little more detail-oriented than this,” Raven commented.

“We’ll change and head down immediately,” he said, ignoring her jab. “The others will take a little bit of time lazing around to do chores before heading out.”

“I’ll be quick,” she said, nodding. A few minutes later, both emerged from their rooms and headed for the elevator. Robin took a look at Raven’s outfit and saw she was dressed similarly to him, with a blazer and jeans. Casual did look good on her…

“How far away is this rink?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“Uh, shouldn’t be more than 15 to 20 minutes,” he answered. Arriving at the garage, Robin fired up the R-Cycle, Raven holding onto him in the backseat. True to his word, they arrived at the rink 20 minutes later, Robin parking the R-Cycle far away from the entrance to not attract attention.

“You don’t think anyone will recognize you with the same hairstyle and mask?” Raven remarked as they headed for the counter to rent skates.

“People are dumber than you might think,” he replied. “Besides, how many violet-haired girls are there in this city?”

“Point taken.” They sat down to put on their skates, Raven struggling with hers. Robin tied his and stood up, hobbling over to her.

“Need help?”

“No matter how tight I tie these, they still tilt around like crazy,” she grumbled.

“It’s supposed to be like that. In case you fall, if your skates are too tight you won’t roll an ankle or something,” he explained. She took his hand to stand up, but quickly let go of it to try to balance herself out.

“How do you walk in these things?” she groaned, swaying precariously from side to side.

“Really? Walking in them is easy,” Robin said amusedly. “Just wait until we get on the ice.”

Robin got on the ice first, sliding a few feet before stopping and looking behind him to check on Raven. She confidently took a step onto the ice, before slipping and grabbing onto the handrail. Some experienced skaters whooshed by as he tried to make his way back to her.

“Ice is slippery. Who would’ve known,” she deadpanned, annoyed.

“Push off with one foot and switch up to go forward,” he instructed. “Then to turn you just lean your weight to one side. Really all there is to it.”

“And how do I stop, Boy Blunder?” Raven asked, still clinging to the rail with one hand.

“Uh, I usually just tilt one of my skates to the side. It’s a little risky but it works for me.”

“Sounds promising,” she sighed. “Okay, let’s go.” She let go of the handrail and hesitantly pushed off with her right foot, slowly moving forward. Raven wasn’t used to the sensation of sliding and founder herself swaying back and forth. “Whoaaa,” she let out, as she continued to slide slowly forward.

“You have to embrace sliding,” Robin offered. “Don’t be afraid to keep going. It helps to lean forward.”

“Yeah, okay,” she muttered, pushing off with the other foot. She still stood mostly straight up, her arms flailing wildly before grabbing ahold of the handrail again.

“I’m gonna go on ahead,” he told her. Robin was rusty since he obviously didn’t have time to skate a lot normally, but he managed to work his way up to a decent speed and relative control. He scanned the rink, eyeing other couples, families, and teenagers on various parts of the ice. Completing a couple of laps, he slowed down to find Raven inching her way to the one fourth point of the rink.

“My ankles burn and I’ve almost fallen four times,” she muttered. “Remind me again why I thought this was going to be fun?”

“I wouldn’t know. You never told me,” he said, shrugging. “Need a hand?”

“I can do this myself,” she said determinedly, and let go of the rail once again to move forward. This time, she pushed ahead with reckless abandon, one foot pressing after the other.

“Raven, slow down!” Robin called, skating after her. “You’re going too fast!”

“I can handle it!” she yelled back, as she reached the curve in the rink.

“Turn! TURN!” he shouted. Raven tried to lean towards one side, but she was going too fast now. Robin watched as she slammed into the wall, falling flat onto the ice.

“You okay?” he asked as he skated over to her. She looked up at him with a grimace.

“My face hurts and my ass is frozen.”

“It’ll only get more frozen if you sit there,” he said, extending a hand. She took it and gingerly lifted herself up, brushing off her clothes. “Let’s try not to bite off more than we can chew.”

“If I slip one more time I’m using my powers to skate.”

“It’s more fun to do it normally,” he replied. “Especially with another person,” he continued gently, taking her hand. Her annoyed glare softened and she gripped his hand tightly.

“Lead the way, Boy Blunder,” she said with a smirk. “At least when we fall it won’t be my fault.”

“Follow my lead,” he told her. He pushed off with one foot and she carefully copied his movement, allowing them to skate side by side at the same speed. They were out of sync at first as she tried to adjust to his patterns. She almost slipped again before Robin slowed down to help her balance. After working it out a few more times though, Raven got the hang of it. It was easy to follow him; when Robin turned, Raven naturally did as well. They circled the rink multiple times, for what seemed like hours. Finally, Robin started to slow down, and she tried to imitate his braking motion as best as possible.

“See? It’s not so bad,” Robin remarked.

“Eh.” The response was curt, but Robin knew she had grown to enjoy it, if just a little bit more.

“You wanna get a snack or something? I’m a little hungry.”

“I think I’m gonna try skating a little more,” she replied. “You can go on. I’ll meet you later.” Robin nodded and exited the rink, heading for the concessions while Raven continued on the ice. She started up again, being careful to dodge slower skaters and maintain control. Having learned her lesson, she bent down lower to keep her balance, while not going too fast as to not be able to turn the corners. Once she settled into a rhythm, it was quite peaceful to be able to glide with little effort. She felt calm amidst the commotion of other skaters and the chilliness of the rink. Not only calm, but…content.

Robin sat down with a plastic boat of nachos and had just started digging in when Raven came over. Still awkwardly walking on the carpet, she took a seat across from him and raised an eyebrow.

“Nachos?” she inquired.

“Nothing else looked good.”

“Some of us must have different standards then,” she said, looking in disgust at the cheese.

“Nobody’s forcing you to eat them,” Robin replied, as he took another scoop with a chip. Raven sat silently while he ate, seemingly in thought again. He finished up quickly and got up, throwing away the boat. “Wanna skate for a little bit more?”

“Sure,” she said with a small smile. She got up and took his hand, this time leading him back to the ice. Robin was a little surprised by the gesture, but he didn’t mind. _She learned pretty fast,_ he thought to himself as they started skating again. The two birds slid around the rink, which was now starting to clear out as it got later in the night. They moved in harmony, and each could feel the warmth of the other’s hand. Finally, the two slowed and exited, returning their skates and boarding the R-Cycle to go home. Heading up to the main room, they saw that the others still hadn’t returned from their own jaunt into downtown. Raven turned to gaze out the large glass windows, and Robin walked to stand next to her.

“How was tonight?” he asked.

“It was fun,” she said simply.

“Glad you enjoyed it,” he murmured. He took her hand, grasping it while they both continued to look out over the night sea.

“I could get used to this, you know,” she remarked.

“Get used to what?”

“The little things. Nice moments. Sparks. The like,” she listed.

“I get what you mean,” he agreed. “It is nice.”

“Shall we do this again sometime soon?” she quipped. He turned his head to look at her, her expression a combination of playfulness and curiosity.

“Sure thing. I don’t know how much longer we’ll be able to snoop around though.”

“We’ll figure it out,” she replied. “I already have an idea for where to go next.”

“And that would be?”

“You’ll find out,” she said, smirking. “For now, let’s just try to find a time we can get away.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Raven drew closer and he pulled her in for a brief hug, not overly long but just enough to send chills up her back from his warmth. They let go after a moment and she turned to head for the stairs.

“Good night, birdbrain.”

“Good night, Raven, you eternal source of sunshine,” he sighed, shaking his head at the name-calling. She looked back and gave him a wink, and the smile reappeared on his face. He fiddled with the security systems for a bit, making sure everything was still working, before retiring for the night as well.


	11. Tastes in Delicate Arts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things like shopping somehow weren't as mundane when they went together.

_The ending was thoroughly unsatisfying,_ Raven thought to herself. Indeed, like some cliché fairytale she had grown tired of reading as a child, the wizard had used his newfound love to banish the witch once and for all, ending his endless sleepless nights and haunting voices in his head. She gazed outside her window, the late fall of Jump City bringing a cooler air to the outside and generally slowing things down. Setting the book aside on her bed, she headed for the door, making sure to cast a sideways glance and snort at her waitress uniform hanging in her closet as she did. The empath was heading for the main room before she heard a ruckus and loud grunting from the gym. Pausing in her steps, she turned around and went back to the gym. Opening the door, she found none other than her bird counterpart working himself into a sweat.

“94…95…96…huh?” Robin set his bar down and sat up, peering over to the door. “Oh hey, Raven. What are you doing here?”

“It seems like someone is having quite the workout here,” she commented.

“It’s all about getting better every day,” Robin grunted, as he laid back down. “97…98…99…100.”

“How many sets?”

“I’m on the 7th one now.”

“Impressive,” Raven remarked. “You mind if I watch for a little bit?”

“Of course not,” Robin replied, getting up to get a drink. “How was work?”

“I’d rather not talk about it,” she grumbled.

“If you wanna hear the good news, I met with the treasury yesterday. They seem to be willing to work out a solution with us.”

“Just let me know when I can file my resignation and I’ll do that immediately.”

“I hope you’ve at least learned something,” Robin said, as he got back under the bar. “Maybe how to talk to lots of difficult people.”

“Everyone is difficult to me,” she retorted.

“Even me?” he said, winking.

“Especially you,” she responded, rolling her eyes. Robin smirked and began another set, his peak body allowing him to push himself further and further. Raven watched with slight interest, as her lover strained and sweat under the weight of the bar. Even though Robin wasn’t very tall for his age, he packed a lot of muscle into his small frame. She’d experienced firsthand in occasional sparring how hard he was able to hit, though he couldn’t match her natural powers either. _Doesn’t his gelled hair get annoying to deal with during workouts?_ She wondered. She made a mental note to ask him about it sometime. The sorceress couldn’t help but bite her lip a little as she watched him begin to tire towards the end of his set. _Come on, push through it,_ she willed. With her focus now firmly on him, something began to happen. Robin opened his eyes widely, and, seemingly imbued with a new source of energy, began to lift with renewed vigor. He tore through the rest of the set, and even did a few extra reps for good measure. Putting the bar down, he got up and suddenly started panting.

“That was weird,” he gasped.

“What was?” she asked.

“I was…going really slowly. I wanted to finish the set without taking a break but I knew I didn’t have any energy left,” he explained. “Then I felt everything inside me cool down. It felt…nice. And it seemed like I felt stronger.”

“Hmm,” Raven murmured. She figured she had accidentally empowered him with their bond, but didn’t know specifically how. She guessed that she would find out more as it grew stronger.

“The bond?” Robin asked, as if reading her mind. She felt a slight tinge of embarrassment.

“Uh, yeah,” she answered. “I, uh, was kind of cheering for you. To finish the set.”

“And our wills connected,” Robin finished. “You gave me the strength to go on. Seems like a pretty useful part of our connection.”

“For sure,” Raven agreed. Robin put his hand on her shoulder and smiled.

“I’m glad you always have my back, you know.”

“Uh, thanks,” she responded uncertainly. She chided herself for her uncontrolled embarrassment. _It’s not like you’re meeting him for the first time. You don’t have to keep your feelings hidden from him._

“I think that’s enough for today,” he announced. She raised an eyebrow.

“Really? How long have you been training?”

“A couple of hours. I didn’t hit the bags but I’d rather spar than practice moves on a still bag,” he yawned. “I’m gonna go shower. I’ll meet you in the main room?”

“Sure,” Raven responded simply, and the two parted ways. She didn’t know why, but she felt a little more floaty after spending time with him in the gym. It was a nice, fuzzy feeling that she wasn’t used to. Raven allowed a small smile to spread across her face, before replacing it with her usual neutral expression as she walked into the main room.

“Hooray! I am victorious!” Starfire exclaimed as Raven saw her hold her controller up in the air in delight.

“That’s it! I’m never falling into the trap of buying another game from this series again!” Beast Boy fumed.

“Aw man, we have nothing left in here!” Cyborg complained. “The holidays are coming up and all of the ingredients are expired or missing!”

“Not the tofuey goodness!” Beast Boy shouted, momentarily forgetting about his video game. He turned into a hawk and soared over to the fridge, pulling out his tofurkey and hugging it close to his chest.

“Suits you,” Cyborg snorted. “For the rest of us, we’re gonna eat real food for _normal_ people.”

“Do we need to go grocery shopping?” Raven asked, ignoring all the commotion in the background.”

“You bet we do,” Cyborg replied. “Not only do we not have any feast food, we don’t have any food, period!”

“It’s fine, dudes,” Beast Boy said, waving his hand. “We’ll just order pizza or tacos like we usually do.”

“Need I remind you it’s way more expensive to order food than it is to cook?” Raven groused, glaring.

“Please,” Starfire interrupted. “I do not wish to have the half-circle shaped Mexican sandwiches. The last time I did I believe I had what you call…the runs?”

“Well, someone’s going to have to go shopping,” Cyborg grumbled. “And it ain’t gonna be me. I have another episode to film so I’ll be back late. Someone else is gonna have to cook.” Raven sighed and sat down on the couch whilst the others continued bickering. The bright side was, at this rate, they’d probably be less likely to notice if the two of them went out again…

“Something wrong?” a voice behind her came.

“Listen for yourself,” she answered. Robin came over next to her, putting his arms on the top of the couch.

“We’re out of food again, huh? I swear we keep buying stuff only to let it expire.”

“You wouldn’t be mistaken. That was a quick shower, by the way.”

“I’m kind of trained to be efficient with everything,” he said with a smile. He turned to the others and joined in the conversation.

“But I assure you, there is nothing wrong with the new recipe, it is delicious—” Starfire was rambling, trying to convince the others to let her cook. “Friend Robin, would you agree?” She looked at him with pleading eyes.

“Uh, okay, Star,” he conceded. “You can make, like, a small sample of whatever you were going to cook, and we can tell you if it’s good or not.”

“Still doesn’t solve the problem that we need food, and plenty of it!” Cyborg retorted.

“Fine,” Robin said, folding his arms. “I’ll go get groceries. The rest of you can stay here and carry on with whatever you were gonna do.”

“Works for me,” Beast Boy said, shrugging. He left the room, presumably to go nap or read comic books.

“I shall perfect the recipe for our dinner,” Starfire announced, and went to start cooking.

“I gotta be at the studio in a bit,” Cyborg said.

“Alright. I’ll see you guys in an hour or so,” Robin said.

“Here’s a list,” Cyborg told him, handing him a piece of paper from a compartment within his body, with the groceries all typed on it already. “And remember, if you do scratch the car, I better see you buffing counterclockwise when you get back.”

“No worries,” Robin said, taking the list and the keys from Cyborg. “It’ll be quick and easy.”

“Robin,” Raven said, standing up. He turned around and looked at her. “I’ll come.”

“I think I can handle it, Raven,” he replied. “Don’t worry.”

“Nah, I’m going,” she said, walking closer to him. “I wanted to go into town today anyway. We can make another stop besides the grocery store.”

“Fine,” Robin conceded. “But I’m telling you, it’s literally just groceries…” Raven cut him off with a finger to her lips.

“I didn’t know you were the shopping type, Raven,” Cyborg commented.

“Don’t worry about it,” Raven countered. And with that, she followed him out the door. Cyborg shrugged and closed the fridge, going back to his room to dress up for his show.

“Let’s see…milk, eggs, a whole ham, another tub of mustard, spices, five bags of…potatoes…?” Robin scratched his head as he read off the items on the list. “We really are wasteful with our shopping.”

“It’s the holidays,” Raven said simply. “It’s an excuse for everyone to gorge and leave the leftovers in the fridge only to order takeout the next day and the day after that until they go bad.”

“You seem to think very highly of our eating habits.”

“You’re not even the worst, Boy Blunder,” she said as they neared the garage. “Just think about how much unnecessary stuff Starfire cooks and all the disgusting vegan things Beast Boy lets go to waste because he wants to order another pizza.”

“Come on, Raven. You’ve gotta be more allowing for some people.”

“Oh, I got used to it a long time ago,” she corrected him, as they both got in the car. “I just don’t bother trying to change their ways.”

“Any other pet peeves I should be aware of?” he chuckled.

“Yeah, when people don’t start driving and everyone is already buckled up,” she remarked sarcastically. Robin shook his head and turned the keys, starting up the T-Car. Pressing another button, the bridge connecting the island and the mainland lowered down, allowing the car to drive across, although it could’ve just as easily floated across as well with its hover jets. Robin turned on the radio, but made the mistake of not lowering the volume beforehand.

“Will you turn that down?” Raven shouted as the state-of-the-art speakers thundered to life, deafening both Titans.

“Sorry!” Robin yelled back, and reached for the volume knob, violently cranking it down. With the sound at a more bearable level, Robin realized that the radio was set to a pop station. Disgusted, he plugged the aux cord into his communicator, proceeding to blast some rap tunes.

“You could do well to turn the bass down too,” Raven commented.

“Nah, that’s non-negotiable,” Robin replied, as he turned the corner and drove them into the heart of downtown. “Besides, it’s on my side of the car anyway.”

“Why do you listen to this?” Raven sighed. “This is like the fifth time they’ve mentioned drugs in the last minute.”

“Most of these songs do,” he answered nonchalantly. “The lyrics aren’t an endorsement of who the person listening to them is.”

“Oh, I don’t mind the actual content,” she corrected. “It’s just wholly uncreative. Like most music nowadays is.”

“Well, what do you listen to?” he asked.

“You don’t wanna listen to my music,” she warned in her usual deadpan tone.

“Well, since you say so, we’ll keep listening to mine.” She shrugged and laid back, reclining her chair. Robin skipped a few songs before settling again. The song was synth-heavy, yet somehow still sounded warm, but with a dark undertone. Raven’s ears perked up, and she glanced over at Robin.

“Robin.”

“Yeah?”

“What’s this song called?” she asked curiously.

“Uh…it’s called Loft Music. By the Weeknd. Do you like it?”

“It’s…interesting,” she admitted.

“I can send you my playlist,” he offered. “Give you some more recommendations when we get back.”

“Sure,” she accepted. They drove on a for a bit longer in silence, the beat of Robin’s music eventually becoming background noise to both of them. They were both comfortable in their skins, neither of them forcing conversation just for the sake of breaking the quietness.

“By the way, where was that other place you wanted to stop by?” he asked eventually. “We can go after we pick up everything on this list.”

“It’s no big deal,” Raven said. “I wanted to stop by at a café. They’re having open mic tonight, so we can’t really go until after dinner anyways.”

“We can still drop in for a coffee or something. Relax a little bit.”

“Okay, but not too long. We need to get back before our perishable stuff goes bad.”

“No worries,” Robin reassured her. “Cyborg installed a mini-fridge in the trunk a few weeks ago. We’ll be able to handle it.”

“This car…has a fridge now?” Raven asked, raising her eyebrows. “And this is good for what besides groceries?”

“Roadtrips,” Robin replied as he parked the car. “Storing drinks and snacks.”

“We have the T-Ship. We don’t need to take roadtrips.”

“Always the nitpicker,” he mused, as they walked inside and he grabbed a cart.

“I prefer the term ‘attention to detail’,” Raven snarked back. “What are we starting with?”

“You can take the bottom half,” Robin said, ripping the list in half and handing her it. “This stuff should all be in the same part of the store.” She nodded and grabbed a cart of her own, and the two Titans headed separate ways to collect the groceries. The Boy Wonder was just starting to pile items in his cart from the fridge when someone behind him pointed him out.

“Look!” A blonde girl, about his same age, pointed out. “It’s Robin!”

“Robin?!” a few more girls joined her and gawked at him. They surrounded him, tugging on his cape and arms.

“Uh, hi everyone,” he greeted. “Listen, I don’t have any autographs on me, but I can sign a sheet of paper or something and take a few pictures. I’m kind of in a hurry right now.”

“Oh no, Robby, you’re coming with us,” one of them squealed. Robin cringed as he had flashbacks to Kitten, and silently prayed for a manager or someone to break the mess up. A black shadow suddenly appeared in front of him, parting to reveal Raven. The girls all backed up and stared.

“Back away, please,” Raven said softly, with a menacing tone.

“We want to see our hero, not you,” one of the girls retorted, making a disgusted face. “Shoo.”

“Uh, I think she’s a Teen Titan too,” her friend pointed out nervously.

“We’re busy. Back. Away,” Raven repeated.

“It’s okay,” Robin said, putting a hand on Raven’s shoulder. “Sorry girls, but like Raven said, we are in a bit of a rush right now. Sorry to disappoint you.”

“But we really want some time with you!” the blonde protested.

“One picture,” Robin stated.

“Robin, you don’t have to—” Raven began. Robin shot her a not now look and she sighed. The Boy Wonder stood in the middle of all them, forcing a pained smile as they took a few bad selfies with him. The girls surrounded the phone after and Robin slipped out, following Raven to a different aisle.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know,” Robin told her.

“I did because fans are annoying, and quite frankly, sometimes bordering on intrusive,” she replied annoyedly.

“I appreciate the concern. I really do,” he said. “But I could’ve handled it.”

“Given how your last encounter with a blonde superfan of yours worked out, I couldn’t be too sure.”

“You’re really good to me, Raven,” he said. She turned around and found him smiling softly at her. “I don’t deserve you, honestly.”

“I, uh…”

“Things like this aren’t a big deal. But I know if I ever do need help, you’ll be there.” Raven suddenly found the white tiles of the floor a lot more interesting and Robin chuckled as he pushed the cart past her. “Come on. Let’s finish shopping.”

“Yeah,” Raven agreed quickly, and followed him back out front where she had left her cart. She resumed finding the items on her part of the list, while contemplating his words. She had accepted her feelings for him, but she was fairly certain neither of them could still define what they were yet. More than friends, definitely, but how much more? One thing was for sure, she had been paying even more attention to him since that fateful night, observing his actions and learning his tendencies. She absentmindedly pulled some fruit into the cart with her powers and continued to think. It was an attraction to him, but she didn’t know if she could classify it as “love”. What even counted as love? Raven sighed, unable to decide whether she should give in to her emotions or combat them more, squeezing fallacies and problems out of them that she could use as excuses to shut them away, to buy her more time to think.

The two finished shopping and loaded the car with bags of groceries, Robin stuffing the glorified cooler with everything in his cart. Hopping back in, Robin started the engine and they drove off again.

“So, to the café now?” he asked.

“Sure,” she replied, nodding. “I’ll plug in the directions.” She tapped and typed the address into the screen, and within seconds the directions were loaded.

“You go there often?”

“Yeah. It’s inside a huge bookstore so it’s convenient. And the tea isn’t bad either.”

“I might just have some juice. Or a coffee,” Robin thought aloud.

“You should try some tea,” Raven encouraged. “I’ll show you what to order.”

“If you say so,” Robin said, shrugging. He figured it wouldn’t hurt to step out of his comfort zone. They arrived at the bookstore, a fairly tall building in an old neighborhood of the city. Robin followed Raven inside, and found that the interior was nicely decorated, with quotes and pictures of famous authors lining the walls. The café was in its own corner, with glass windows separating it from both the store and the outside. The two Titans walked in, Robin looking around at the numerous couches and lamps illuminating the dimly lit place.

“Hey, Raven,” a young, dark-skinned cashier greeted her. “Been a while since you’ve stopped in here. You coming to open mic tonight?”

“You know I’ll be there. My usual, please,” she ordered. “And for my friend, uh, let’s go with a mug of citrus.” The two sat down at a table in the corner and waited for their drinks to arrive.

“What’s your usual?” Robin asked.

“It’s a blend of herbs and fruits that are mostly from Southeast Asia,” she answered. “I sometimes brew it myself at home, but it’s easier to do it here where they already have all the individual blends.”

“And…citrus?”

“It’s a fairly mild herbal tea. I don’t know what your tastes are like. Didn’t want to start you off too extreme,” she explained with a wave of her hand.

“This is a pretty cozy place,” Robin noted. He observed a few other people in the café, quietly conversing or doing work on their laptops. “It seems like it’d be nice to relax, or to unwind after a long day,” he continued, absentmindedly rotating the fake candle on the table around. The cashier brought their drinks over and Robin looked at his mug, a light yellow-green liquid with a single slice of lemon on top. Raven’s tea was a darker color, with little tea leaves floating on the surface. She took a sip and Robin followed her motion, taking a small sip of his. It tasted slightly sour and bitter, but was still very fragrant.

“How is it?” Raven questioned, eyeing him.

“It’s alright,” he replied, taking another sip. “I’m not used to the taste, but it’s not bad.”

“I see.”

“How’s yours?”

“Fine. The dragonfruit is a little off today. But everything else tastes fresh.”

“You can taste everything in yours?” Robin wondered.

“Of course,” she dismissed, as if it were common sense. “I’ve had this blend many times. You begin to notice the little things once you turn something into a habit.”

“Where’s open mic at?” he asked, gazing out the window at the shelves and staircases of the bookstore.

“It’s in the basement,” she replied. “It tends to be either a rowdy or uncomfortably dark atmosphere down there.”

“Uncomfortably dark? For you? That’s gotta be pretty bleak then,” Robin declared.

“Oh no, it’d be uncomfortably dark for you and other people,” she clarified. “For me, it’s pretty lightweight stuff.” Robin stared at her as she finished her sentence. “What?”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he laughed.

“Don’t pretend like you’re some bursting bubble of joy,” she teased. “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with what it has to offer.”

“I sure look forward to it,” Robin agreed. Their sit-down was interrupted by Robin’s communicator beeping, which he flipped open to find Beast Boy’s face on it.

“Robin!” he exclaimed. “When are you guys coming home?”

“Uh, soon, I guess,” he made up.

“Where are you two, anyway?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Uh, we’re just grabbing a drink. We’ll be back soon.”

“You better! We’re starving over here and there’s nothing we can cook with! You’re a few minutes away from us ordering takeout.”

“Beast Boy, you know better than to waste our money,” Robin said sternly. “Just hold on tight and we’ll be back with everything you need.” He closed his communicator and looked at Raven.

“So I’m guessing we should get going.”

“We’ll take our time. I don’t exactly find _Beast Boy’s_ demands pressing,” Robin said sarcastically. Raven chortled, longer than she usually did at something funny.

“I needed that,” she chuckled, taking another sip of tea.

“I wasn’t trying to be funny, but I’m glad you liked it,” he said with a sheepish grin. They sat for a few more minutes, taking their time to finish their respective cups of tea. Robin felt warm inside all the way down to his toes, and he was glad Raven had introduced him to tea. He realized that he was getting peeks into Raven’s life, things that he knew she was fond about but never really thought about in detail. It certainly was interesting, and a bit surprising, even. He did always find her love of the darkness intriguing, and spending these little moments with her confirmed that the two did have an affinity for a lot of the same things. He caught himself sneaking a glance at her for what seemed like the millionth time. Pushing his luck, he decided not to divert his eyes away, and watched as she brushed her hair back, meticulously blowing some of the leaves away from the edge of the mug in order to sip the last remains of her tea. Her hair, just a bit shorter than shoulder-length, was smooth and luxuriant. In fact, everything about her exuded a graceful confidence—this was a girl who didn’t need to yell or show off her powers to let you know she could either be your best friend or worst nightmare. _Beauty really does come in different forms,_ he thought to himself.

“Are you done?” she asked suddenly.

“…done?” he said confusedly.

“You know. Staring at me,” she said with a smirk.

“I wasn’t,” he denied. “My eyes were just…spaced out, that’s all. Besides, how can you even see where I’m looking?”

“The bond doesn’t lie, Boy Blunder,” she said knowingly, tapping her forehead. Robin humphed and stroked his chin, before sitting back in his chair.

“Looks like I’ll have to learn how to feel this bond like you.”

* * *

“I’m telling you, something’s fishy,” Beast Boy said as he paced around the room.

“I thought you were not allowed to eat the creatures of the sea,” Starfire said as she cooked another Tamaranian dish.

“Like suspicious,” Beast Boy continued. “They’ve been going out together more and more lately.”

“You mean our friends Robin and Raven?”

“Exactly. Once or twice wouldn’t be anything, but it’s been many times over the last few weeks now,” Beast Boy pondered. “And it’s not just going out. They’ve been spending more and more time around each other.”

“Why does this make you suspicious?”

“Hello? Duhhh!” Beast Boy drawled, pointing to his temple. “I think our two birds—” he said as he turned into a green robin, “are in looooove!”

“You think that Robin and Raven are shipping their relations off?” Starfire wondered.

“I don’t know. But I have a feeling something’s brewing,” Beast Boy replied.

“Robin had told me I was ‘the one’,” Starfire thought out loud. “But clearly, that was not the case. Maybe he has found ‘the one’ in Raven.”

“Aw, I’m sorry Star,” Beast Boy said, coming over to where she continued cooking. “I’ll find out what’s going on.”

“There is no need,” Starfire answered. “My relations with Robin are an item of the past. We are still very close friends. The time of sadness has passed. I do not require any pudding anymore.”

“You sure?”

“I am certain,” she said. “Perhaps you are mistaken even. Maybe our friends just wish to do some of the ‘hanging out’.”

“Maybe. But my Spidey Sense is still tingling, if you catch my drift.”

“You feel the tingle of the man who is a spider?” Starfire asked confusedly. “And there is no wind in here. Even if there was, I could not catch it with my bare hands.”

“Never mind. All I’m saying is, I smell a romance in the works.” He went back to the couch and started playing video games again, while Starfire held up a ladle and stared at it.

“I did not know this feeling of love had an odor.”


	12. Restless Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin is introduced to Raven's hobby of open mic, with a minor scuffle afterwards.

“So what do people usually do on the mic? Comedy? Music? Poetry?”

“Generally the latter two,” Raven replied, as they returned to the bookstore. The two Titans had used separate excuses; Raven had told the truth, which was a surefire way to draw no attention, while Robin had bungled it a little and said that he was going to the bookstore to buy some manuals on weapons manufacturing. Of course, he hadn’t said which one. “You’ll find that although there will occasionally be comedians on the last thread of their careers, most of the people attracted here are people who dabble in niche genres of music and poem writing.”

“Can’t wait,” he acknowledged. He followed her to the corner of the store, where she pushed open an old wooden door that led to a flight of concrete stairs.

“Fun fact: I did take Blackfire down here once,” she mentioned as they walked down.

“Really?”

“Yeah. She insisted on getting to know my favorite places better. Her poetry was surprisingly dark.”

“Not surprising to me,” he grumbled. “She is a criminal, after all.” The basement was a little different from what Robin had expected; instead of being a mellow place with a relaxed atmosphere, it was a little creaky and old. Nevertheless, he wasn’t bothered and found a table with Raven to sit down at.

“10 minutes till it starts,” Raven said, glancing at the clock on the wall.

“You ever get up there and perform?” Robin wondered. She shook her head.

“I prefer to sit back and be a critic.”

“It seems like this type of stuff is right up your alley.”

“I tried it once. Half the room didn’t understand the poem and the other half were scared off because it was too dark,” she said nonchalantly.

“What qualifies as ‘dark’, anyway?” Robin asked.

“Depends on what you think counts as dark,” she replied.

“Well, aren’t things like death, separation, oppression, and the like sort of objectively dark?”

“Those things are bad, sure,” she allowed. “But do you personally dread it in a story when the empire takes power or enslaves masses of people? Or is that just something that’s bad, something to fight back against?”

“Well…” Robin paused and thought about it.

“Darkness inspires feelings of foreboding. Like a thrill, but in a dreadful way,” she explained. “A slow, sort of suffocation type of feeling.”

“And you live for that sort of thing?”

“Some of us don’t find our greatest pleasures in Super Smash Bros or fiddling with tech.”

“Do you find horror movies to be dark?” he teased. She glanced at him annoyedly, but he was the only one on the team who could get away with that type of joke about her. Beast Boy would’ve been eviscerated on the spot.

“Not the same thing.”

“Whatever you say,” Robin said, smirking. The lights dimmed and the microphone screeched for a little bit before stabilizing.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!” an MC’s voice rang out from the side. “Welcome to Open Mic! We’ve got a diverse and exciting lineup of performers, all eager to show their best work tonight! First up: Marcelo the Magnanimous!” A short, dark-haired man, not much older than the two Titans, marched up to the mic and grabbed it, swiveling it around a few times and flashing an all-white grin.

“Great,” Raven groaned. “We’ve got a comedian up first.”

“His name sounds like he’d be more of a magician,” Robin commented.

“They always throw the bad comedians to the wolves first. Lessens the fall if everyone else behind them screws up in some way.”

“How many of you are chemistry fans? Hm? Get those hands up!” Marcelo urged. “We’ve all heard brilliant science jokes before.”

“Cue the helicase joke,” Raven narrated.

“Like the DNA helicase one! It just wants to unzip your genes, am I right?” he continued with a chortle. “I went to my professor, yes, and I told him: whenever you hear a bad science joke, you should barium!”

“I think I’m in physical pain right now,” Robin moaned. The audience showered the comedian with boos but he kept smiling like an overjoyed animal. “How long do these guys have?”

“Usually around 10-15 minutes, contingent on if they don’t get run off the stage before then,” Raven answered. She seemed to be oblivious to the terrible jokes being told. Maybe she wasn’t even listening.

“I hope the rest of the night won’t be like this,” Robin grumbled.

“Don’t lose hope. We can only go up from here.” Robin found himself tuning the guy out and instead focusing on the girl sitting across from him. She was lounging back in her chair, legs crossed and staring blankly straight ahead. _I really need to learn how to tune people out like she can,_ he thought. He allowed his mind to wander for a bit, wondering if he could capture the same essence.

_Generic singular entity._

_What was that?_ Robin thought. The words had softly, but suddenly rang out in his head. He turned them around, trying to decipher what they meant. What was the context of a generic singular entity? _Spacing out,_ he suddenly realized. His last thought before spacing out was to learn how Raven tuned people out so easily. Maybe this phrase, despite how weird it was, was how she did it. By focusing on a single object or thing, something nonspecific. He hadn’t quite read her mind, but rather felt the way she did things and felt his way towards imitating it.

“Who wants some _tear_ -able puns?” the comedian laughed, holding up a piece of paper. “Isn’t that so meta? It’s a metapun!”

“Four minutes left,” Raven said, glancing at the clock. “Although I give him one more at most.”

“Why is that?”

“Listen around you.” The boos were now viciously raining down, though the comedian still acted like the crowd loved him. “Next time he opens his mouth, the MC will have to intervene,” she said, with a tinge of relief. Sure enough, the MC cut off Marcelo mid-sentence and stepped up to the mic, pushing him out and apologizing to the crowd.

“Why do they keep letting people like that perform?” Robin wondered.

“It’s open mic. It wouldn’t be very open if they didn’t let certain people perform.” Robin did a mental facepalm. It was a stupid question. “Don’t worry. Even though it’s obvious, I often find myself asking the same question,” Raven continued. She’d felt his emotions again. The night went on, with a few decent musicians and some others, possibly aspiring rappers, trying out some spoken word. Finally, the MC announced a poet to the mic.

“I haven’t seen this one before,” Raven commented. “But given the theme of this café, I wouldn’t be surprised if he follows the same patterns.”

“Let’s see it,” Robin said. The poet stepped to the mic and politely greeted the audience before reading a few poems about tragedy and the cruelty of fate. He then pivoted to his last poem.

“What does hope mean to you?” he beckoned. “For most, it means a beacon. But behind that beacon lies a darker truth. Most of you may not encounter this at all in your lives. But for the few who will, you will know that sometimes, not even hope may be enough.” He went on to read a simple poem, one detailing the cliff behind the promised road, as well as the traps along the difficult, rough path. The crowd sat in silence, murmuring amongst themselves. When he was finished with his poems, they politely clapped. Robin turned to Raven, who stared back at him.

“That hit home hard.” She was the first to speak.

“I don’t think he’s right,” Robin said indignantly, quickly recovering. “Sure, hope may only be temporary. But the point is that we’re fighting to begin with. It doesn’t matter if it’s days, weeks, or months, as long as we have that resolve that’s what’s important.”

“You’re right,” she said, nodding in thought. “After…everything that happened, we still took on an equally challenging mission. But that doesn’t mean everything we went through didn’t matter.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page,” he said, smiling.

“There are two sides to the truth,” Raven surmised. “We have to be able to accept both sides. To accept that hope can be a helper or a hindrance. That’s how we become better.”

“I have to admit, I did get a little chilly listening to the poem though.”

“That’s what I thrive on, Boy Blunder,” she addressed with a knowing smile. “The gripping feeling. When you feel like you’re sinking, and there’s nothing you can do.”

“Definitely not for everyone,” he laughed nervously. “But I understand better now.”

“That’s good.” They headed for the stairs, exiting into the well-lit bookstore, and then outside into the crisp night air.

“We should get going,” Robin said, looking around. “This place feels like nothing but trouble at night.”

“Nah, don’t worry,” Raven reassured her. “It’s just dark, remember?”

“If you say so,” Robin said hesitantly. “But I still have a bad feeling.” Since Raven had flown over, they now both hopped on the R-Cycle. Robin barely made it three blocks before hearing a series of loud booms. Braking, he spun around and glanced down the intersection.

“There’s an old jewelry store down that street,” Raven noted. “Might be coming from there.”

“Let’s stop it before it gets out of hand,” Robin said determinedly, and sped them off in that direction.

“This is an inconvenient part of town. If I remember correctly, the nearest Jump City police station is at least a 20 minute drive away.”

“Doesn’t matter. Let’s put an end to this,” Robin replied. He stopped just before the corner and parked the R-Cycle.

“The store should be the second one once you look down there,” Raven pointed out.

“Seems like they’re off and running. I don’t spot anyone,” Robin said. He motioned to Raven and they approached the jewelry store. There was a large hole in the glass, possibly caused by someone jumping through. He noticed someone trembling in the corner and approached them. It was an old man, with graying hair on the sides of his head. He had his hands over his head and cautiously took them off when he saw Robin walk closer.

“Are you hurt?” Robin asked. He shook his head no. “How many, and which way did they go?”

“One with a gun, two friends,” he replied, his voice shaking. “They went east, down this street.” Robin nodded and stood up.

“The police will be here soon to clean up everything. We’ve got them.”

“I’ll take a look,” Raven told him, putting her hood up and flying up. He followed her on the ground as she scanned the surrounding area. “They haven’t gotten far,” she said after a few moments. “Four blocks east of your position, three blocks north. I’ll go in and you come to clean up.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Robin agreed. Raven descended, landing in front of the three thieves. Two of them were holding big bags and the leader wore a ski mask and held a gun.

“Hand it over now and you’ll only go to jail for five years,” Raven said, almost boredly.

“Not a chance, witch,” the leader snarled, and opened fire. Raven put up a shield and disappeared into the ground, reappearing directly behind him. She put a blast directly into his back and he fell forward, landing on his face. She pulled the gun from him and stepped on his back, keeping him down.

“Cute toy,” Raven remarked. The other two looked at each other, and dropped their bags, only to pull out guns of their own. The empath sighed. “Are we really doing this, guys?”

Two Birdarangs flew from behind and sliced their guns, also raking their hands at the same time. They both cried out in pain and soon joined their leader on the ground, as two vicious kicks from Robin did the trick. The Boy Wonder pulled out rope from his utility belt and tied the three together.

“Do you want this?” Raven asked.

“Not really. I don’t use guns,” he replied.

“Didn’t think so,” she said, and broke the weapon with her powers.

“The Teen Titans?!” the leader blurted out. “How low depths you have descended to! Apprehending criminals like us! You should be—” His words were interrupted by a sign whacking him on the head, as well as his buddies. Robin looked sideways at Raven as she put the sign back in its place.

“That was unnecessary.”

“I prefer ‘effective’,” she responded, putting her hood down. “Are we leaving them here?”

“Nah. We’ll be nice and do some delivery service tonight.”

After dropping the three unconscious criminals at the doorstep of the police station and returning the stolen jewelry, the two Titans returned to the tower. It was relatively late, but the other three were still up. As they entered the main room, Beast Boy hopped off the couch to greet them.

“Coming back together again, I see,” he observed with a smirk.

“There was a robbery nearby. I called Raven in since she was out in the city too.” It wasn’t a lie.

“You guys stopped it easy, right?” Cyborg called.

“Piece of cake,” Raven answered.

“It was nice to at least get some action, though,” Robin yawned.

“You are lucky. Nowadays, my tasks usually involve fixing the red objects that squirt water or putting the circular disks you call ‘manhole covers’ back in place,” Starfire told them.

“What have you guys been doing?” Robin asked.

“Oh, you know, just whupping this dude’s butt once again,” Cyborg said, rubbing Beast Boy’s head. The green one looked up at him indignantly.

“Yes! I have done plenty of the butt whupping on Beast Boy as well,” Starfire chimed in. “These video games are most amusing.”

“Cheaters,” Beast Boy huffed. He went over to the fridge to grab a snack, and Robin and Raven sat down on the couch as Cyborg and Starfire continued to play. Normally, Robin would have joined in, but for some reason he wasn’t all that interested in playing anymore.

“Fun night?” Raven inquired, as the loud sounds of the others and the game continued to fill the room.

“I did enjoy it,” Robin answered, taking her hand and squeezing it for just the slightest second. She blushed a little, though not as violently as she had before.

“Even our unintended little fight?”

“Especially that,” Robin said, grinning. Raven shook her head, but she was smiling.

“But why? Just so you could stretch your legs a little?”

“That. And I get a kick out of always seeing how stupid criminals are.”

“Fair enough, Boy Blunder,” she allowed. She then turned to look at him and leaned in. “But I can’t promise that every time you’ll have such a thrill,” she whispered in his ear.

“You won’t have to,” he said lowly. “I get a new thrill every time.” He too turned his head to look into her eyes. Their noses were almost touching and he realized that they were precariously close in front of the other three, and drew back, glancing around. Raven, realizing the same, poked her head over the top of the couch. Beast Boy was throwing food out of the fridge and onto the table, searching for his vegan snacks. Robin glanced over at Cyborg and Starfire and saw they were firmly engrossed in the last round of their match. The two birds both turned and faced forward on the couch, but not before peeking sideways at each other. A smirk spread across both their faces, and Raven once again gave him one of those elegant, yet hauntingly knowing winks.


	13. Reboot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Control Freak returns to wreak havoc.

For the millionth time, Raven found herself wishing she could use her powers to carry the huge stack of dishes back to the dishwasher. She at least found consolation now in the fact that Robin had told her she would only need to work another week or two.

“Are you struggling?” Aqualad asked amusedly as she plopped the stack down next to him.

“Not in the slightest, Pretty Boy,” she snarked back. “After all, which one of us is saying goodbye to this hell soon?”

“Uh, me,” he said, jerking a thumb towards himself.

“Really?” she said, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

“Yeah,” he confirmed, nodding his head. “I convinced Bee this was a stupid idea. Scaled back some of the renovations. It’s more like a cabin by the beach now. We’ll probably only stay a few days in the summer, experience some nice Cali weather.”

“Hopefully Flash finds it more amusing to crash your place than ours.”

“He does that?” Aqualad asked in confusion. “Oh, Wally.”

“He enjoys the flat-screen TVs, the panoramic view of the bay, and stealing Cyborg’s cooking,” Raven listed off.

“All I know is, Mas y Menos won’t want to see him back anytime soon,” Aqualad chuckled.

“Madame Raven!” Jean-Phillippe called. “There is someone who has requested you to serve them.”

“Someone’s popular around here,” the Atlantean snickered.

“Shut it,” she snapped and went back out. The manager pointed in the direction of the table and she walked over. The man had his head down for some reason, but she decided to start introducing herself anyway. “Hello, welcome to Le Sardine, my name is Raven and—”

“GRRRRRRREETINGSSSSS RAVEN!” the man shouted. She yelped and stumbled back as he pulled off his coat, revealing the all-too-familiar chubby couch potato face. “You think you saw the last of me in Season 5, but I’m back and ready to do some real damage!”

“Everyone calm down,” Raven pleaded, as startled patrons watched on in shock. “I’ll handle this.” She raised a hand and wrapped a bunch of tablecloths around Control Freak, taking him outside and bringing him to the roof of the building. She flew up and landed in front of him, wrapping the tablecloths tighter around his neck.

“Aren’t—you—excited—to—see me again?” he choked, while still somehow keeping a smile.

“You have 10 seconds to tell me why you came to me here and what you’re planning this time,” she growled. Someone else leapt onto the roof and walked forward. Raven glanced sideways to see that it was Aqualad.

“This dude again?” he groaned, pointing to him. “Let me guess. You’re back for Ultimate Titans Challenge 2.”

“Oh no,” Control Freak denied, evilly smirking. “I have something far more nefarious planned this time!”

“What are you planning?” Raven demanded.

“I’ve devised the ultimate plan to take you all down!” he cackled. “And, I guess, you second-rate Titans that nobody knows too,” he said, gesturing to Aqualad. “In just a few moments, my master show will be live on every screen across the city! I have spent weeks and months compiling secret footage from your home, Titans! And now, I will release all that to the public! Behold as your worst moments come to life in front of the entire city and you all are exposed for the frauds that you are!”

“The only cameras in the tower you could hack into are the security ones that point outside,” Raven deadpanned. “And even if you did have footage, I doubt videos of Beast Boy doing the chicken dance are going to change anyone’s opinion of him.”

“Time will tell, Raven!” Control Freak exclaimed. “Tick tock!” And with that, he somehow produced his remote and zapped himself, disappearing.

“What kind of villain reveals his whole plan before it actually goes into action?” Aqualad wondered, scratching his head.

“Doesn’t matter,” Raven replied. She pulled out her communicator and called back to the tower. Robin picked up almost immediately.

“Raven, what is it?” he asked, and she saw the other Titans crowd behind him.

“Control Freak. He’s escaped again somehow,” she told them. “He’s hacking into every TV in the city to broadcast some show of his.”

“We’ll be there,” he said grimly.

“Wait,” she cut him off. “It doesn’t sound like, at least for now, that what he’s planning poses major harm. He plans on…how do I say this…”

“He thinks he’s made a blooper reel of you guys and he’s gonna release it to the city,” Aqualad finished, stepping into within range of the screen.

“Blooper reel?” Robin asked confusedly.

“If I may inquire, what is a blooper?” Starfire questioned.

“Let’s just crack his head before he releases whatever he has,” Cyborg suggested, clenching his fist.

“Stay back at the tower,” Raven ordered. “You may be able to track his signal and find where he’s gone into the TV. I’ll stay out here with Aqualad and we’ll start searching. Keep us in the loop.”

“You got it,” Robin agreed, and ended the communication.

“So how exactly are we supposed to search for where this guy is hiding?” Aqualad quipped.

“He usually likes central places. Where he can have easy access to the digital world and multiple mediums in that world.”

“So, like, tech stores. Or maybe a movie theater.”

“Precisely,” Raven confirmed. “Start with the video store closest to here. I’ll search where we fought him last time.” The two Titans parted, flying and diving to start looking for their mercurial adversary. 

* * *

Back at the tower, Cyborg worked on pinpointing the location of Control Freak’s electronic signals while Robin watched.

“He needs a power source large enough to be able to hijack all the transmissions in the city,” Cyborg mused.

“I want to believe Raven, but nothing about Control Freak is ever straightforward,” Robin said, stroking his chin.

“A blooper reel? Don’t they already know I’m the funniest guy around?” Beast Boy guffawed, flexing.

“I think that’s the point,” Cyborg responded. “Everything you do is a blooper.” The shapeshifter glared at Cyborg while Robin scanned the patterns on the screen.

“Please. You still have not explained to me what this ‘blooper’ is,” Starfire interjected.

“It’s a type of joke, Star,” the Boy Wonder replied. “It’s when people do something on accident that happens to be funny.”

“Oh. And the Control Freak wishes to release a video of our ‘bloopers’? But what have we done?”

“I doubt we’ve done anything,” Robin dismissed.

“Yeah, he’s probably just bluffing,” Cyborg added. “What could he possibly have on us? There’s maximum state-of-the-art security in this place. There’s no way he could’ve ever gotten anything on us.”

“There,” Robin pointed. The team looked at where he was pointing, an old movie theater in the southwest corner of the city. “There are large electric signals emanating from there. Way too big to be produced naturally.”

“The who-da-what-da?” Beast Boy asked, confused.

“Please don’t tell me we’re going to have to go into his world again,” Cyborg groaned.

“Hopefully not,” Robin said. “Titans, go!”

* * *

Raven had just finished searching the old video store when Robin called again.

“Raven, we’ve found what we think is the place,” he told her. “I’m transmitting the coordinates to your communicator. Tell Aqualad and we’ll all meet over there.”

“Got it,” she said, as the coordinates downloaded.

“By the way, Raven,” Robin added. “Did Control Freak…ever mention when he was planning on going on air?” Raven’s face paled even more than usual.

“Uh, no,” she said hesitantly. “I didn’t ask him.”

“We better move fast,” Robin said simply, and hung up. She sent a message to Aqualad, then flew off for the theater. Within a few minutes, she landed near the entrance. It was a weeknight, not a popular time to see movies, but Raven still crept carefully inside. The clerks at the popcorn machine caught sight of her and covered their mouths. Ignoring them, she made her way towards the entrance to the screens. She heard a whoosh and turned around, seeing the other Titans arrive. The clerks were now firmly gaping at the sight.

“Be careful,” Robin ordered. “Split up and search each room.”

“Where’s our dude Aqualad?” Beast Boy asked.

“Here I am,” the long-haired Titan called, as he ran in. “Swam as fast as I could through the bay.”

“Whatever he’s planning, we don’t know who he’s targeting,” Robin said. “Alert the others once you’ve discovered him.” The six went off in separate directions, opening and closing doors in vain as the couch potato was nowhere to be found.

“Titans, do you read me?” Robin called through the communicator. “Any luck?”

“Nothing. I’ve searched this entire wing,” Cyborg answered.

“And same here,” Starfire added. Just then, they were interrupted by a loud buzz coming from all the theaters. The screens went fuzzy, then reappeared with Control Freak taking up the entire screen.

“Greetings, people of Jump City!” he cackled. “What you are about to witness is my crown achievement! The downfall of the Teen Titans!”

“Titans, regroup outside,” Robin barked into the communicator. The team quickly exited their respective rooms and met outside the building.

“He’s everywhere,” Aqualad pointed out. It was true. All the big screens on buildings in the city were filled with his face.

“What do we do?” Beast Boy asked.

“Wait and see what he’s going to do,” Robin said grimly.

“This new show that I have created will not only delegitimize your favorite heroes, good people of Jump, but it will also anoint me as king of media!” Control Freak shouted. “These videos I will release for you in a moment will show you the true nature of the Titans! And from now on, I rule the screens! This show will always be playing! Without further ado…TEEN TITANS GO!”

“Oh boy,” Raven muttered as the screen changed again. When it finished, there sat Beast Boy, except he was drawn with his head disproportionately larger than his body, greener than usual, and with a dopey smile.

“What?!” Beast Boy exclaimed. “What has he done to my beautiful face?” The screen Beast Boy blew a raspberry and started dancing.

“Uh…” Cyborg scratched his head, not sure what to make of it. The screen changed to Robin, who promptly flexed his overexaggerated cartoonish muscles and panted.

“Okay. This just got personal,” Robin grumbled. One by one, each Titan was shown doing multiple random acts. Raven played with pony dolls.

“Charming,” the empath uttered sarcastically. “Can we go find him now?”

“I’m glad I’m not in this show,” Aqualad chuckled. “Clearly Control Freak doesn’t think high enough of me.” Just as he spoke, a mini version of him appeared, swimming alongside adoring fishes. Aqualad scowled and folded his arms.

“We should go find the Control Freak, yes?” Starfire suggested.

“The signal’s all over now,” Cyborg said, checking his arm. “He could be anywhere.”

“Then we split up and find him like we always do,” Robin growled. “Let’s head back to downtown and fan out from there.” The team hopped in its vehicles and sped off.

“That’s right, Titans! Your out-of-hero life has been exposed! Never will the public look upon you the same!” Control Freak gloated. The team reached downtown, only to find that masses of people were in the streets.

“Who is this guy?!” somebody shouted.

“Why is he hijacking our screens? We don’t want his crap about the Titans on here!” another yelled.

“It appears that they do not approve of this Control Freak show either,” Starfire observed.

“You didn’t even do a good job making fun of the Titans!” a woman said, shaking her fist at the screen.

“Wha-what?! This show is supposed to be funny!” Control Freak roared, putting his hands on his hips in the screen. “Why aren’t you all laughing at the Titans!”

“The Titans are cool, weirdo man!” a little kid yelled.

“Yeah, they do cool things! Not like you!” his friend joined in.

“So, does this guy actually have a plan, or was his plan to just try to make fun of us?” Raven asked. “Because if it’s the latter, he’s wasting everyone’s time.”

“This show is a masterpiece!” Control Freak said indignantly. “This is raw footage from the Titans’ home!”

“Uh, is not,” Beast Boy objected, pointing a finger at him. “That’s your bad Microsoft Paint drawings of us. Do those look real?” he asked the crowd. “Do they look like us?” The crowd answered with a deafening “NO!”.

“Beast Boy knows what Microsoft Paint is?” Raven said to no one in particular.

“I had the same reaction,” Cyborg agreed. Control Freak now looked seriously rattled, gripping his remote tightly in one hand.

“When will you fools learn to appreciate art?!” he cried, and pressed the remote again to reveal the team together, except…singing about waffles.

“No one likes this, Control Freak,” Robin said, now trying to stifle a laugh. “Not even you.”

“Grr…I’ll show you!” The megalomaniac teleported himself in front of the Titans and pointed the remote at Robin. His threat was interrupted by a starbolt blasting the contraption from his hand, followed by a wave of water dousing him. He emerged coughing, only to be tied up by Robin.

“He doesn’t learn, does he?” Aqualad commented. “Last time he teleported in front of us too.”

“Last time?” Cyborg asked in surprise.

“You didn’t know about last time? Oh wait…” Aqualad realized.

“Bumblebee…!” Cyborg was furious.

“What kind of cell did you order for him last time?” Raven asked Robin as the group watched him be wheeled away by Jump City police.

“No windows, no access to anything electric, nothing. Just concrete.”

“Clearly the most extreme of the obvious solutions worked quite well,” the empath remarked snippily.

“I’ll have him moved to maximum containment. If need be, we can have Aqualad construct something for him underwater.”

“No way,” Aqualad interrupted, overhearing their conversation. “I’m not polluting the ocean with that dirty obese man’s grubby fingers. Besides, I gotta head back to Steel City soon anyway.”

“Good to have your help, like always,” Robin said.

“Friends will always make everything more glorious,” Starfire exclaimed happily.

“We’ll miss having you here, dude,” Beast Boy told him, giving him a fist pound.

“Oh I’ll be back soon enough. Gotta come back with the rest of the team, finish building this cabin,” he said.

“I know someone who will be extremely happy if you ever come back to wash dishes for him,” Raven said dryly.

“I think we both know we’re never going back to that place,” Aqualad teased.

“I think I’d agree,” she said, cracking a smile.

* * *

The Control Freak mess had burned a lot of the night for the Titans, and they returned to their home exhausted. Starfire and Beast Boy went to sleep immediately, while Robin and Cyborg loitered in the main room, not really doing anything except sitting at the counter. Raven, per usual, was reading on the couch. Not only had the incident gotten her out of her shift, it had also freed up time for her to read. She allowed a small smirk to herself, knowing that Jean-Philippe was sure to freak out over such an incident occurring at his precious restaurant. Perhaps he might even consider getting rid of his favorite employee, pondering if the attention was worth the risk of future incidents happening.

“Man, I don’t even act like that on my worst days,” Cyborg grumbled. 

“Let it go,” Robin advised. “We were lucky he didn’t seem to have a serious plan this time. Either that, or his jail time has made him delusional.”

“Oh well. At least he didn’t show me as a wannabe bodybuilder,” Cyborg laughed. Robin glared at him as he got up and went over to the fridge. “Late-night snack anyone? We’ve got some leftover cheesecake!”

“No thanks,” Robin declined. “Midnight snacks are unhealthy. I’d have to spend extra time in the gym to burn it off. Speaking of which…” The Boy Wonder got up and started heading for the door. “I’m going to get some training in. I was hoping we’d finally get to fight again, but that wasn’t the case.” And with that, he departed the main room. Cyborg glanced at Raven, who was still engrossed in her book.

“What about you, Rae? Cheesecake?” he offered.

“I’ll echo what Robin said about late-night sugar,” she responded.

“You ever get the feeling he takes himself way too seriously?” he said to nobody in particular.

“No.”

“Right. Forgot I’m talking to you,” Cyborg realized.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, looking up from her book.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” he dismissed. “So what’s going on with you? Anything exciting?”

“Nothing much. Just like it has been for the last few months.” She closed the book and got up, going to make some more tea.

“How’s hanging out with Robin been?” he asked casually, while taking a bite out of his cheesecake. She froze and looked sideways at him. Cyborg had posed the question just as small-talk, and although he wasn’t as suspicious as Beast Boy about the two, he was beginning to pick up signs.

“It’s fine,” she said quickly. “We’re just good friends, that’s all.”

“We’re all good friends here, Raven,” he chuckled. He decided not to push the issue further. He was onto something, but knowing the empath, if he kept digging she would either snap or disappear.

“Right. How’s the cooking show been? You’re making lots of money, I hope,” she said, changing the subject.

“Aren’t you quitting your job anyway?”

“Yeah, but you providing a good source of income for us ensures Boy Blunder won’t get tempted to resend me to some other hellhole for a job,” she drawled.

“Wouldn’t put it past him,” Cyborg agreed. He tossed his plate and fork in the sink and stretched. “Who’s supposed to do dishes today?”

“Beast Boy. We’ll drag him out of bed early tomorrow,” she said, shaking her head.

“I’m gonna go recharge. See you in the morning,” he told her, and left for his room. Raven finished her tea and picked her book up from the couch, exiting shortly after. There was nobody left in the main room—might as well go read in her own room now. Or, she thought to herself, go see what the only other Titan awake was doing…

The empath entered the gym to see Robin practicing against a punching bag. Several bags, knocked off their chains, lay on the ground in front of him.

“Hey Raven,” he greeted, panting heavily. “You’re still up?”

“I don’t really get tired, ever,” she admitted. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Not in particular. I’d have rather fought someone, even if it was one of Control Freak’s TV monsters.”

“You know Cyborg’s working on a new training module. The robots should be more realistic and mimic different fighting styles now.”

“Yeah, but in the meantime, there’s nothing to do,” he said, punching the bag for emphasis. Raven pursed her lips.

“Well, maybe you could show me some techniques,” she suggested. He looked at her in surprise. “What?”

“Uh, nothing,” he said quickly. “It’s just…I didn’t know you had an interest in martial arts.”

“I can’t rely on my powers all the time,” she said. “Might as well get proficient at close quarters combat. After all, everyone else at least has some way to fight hand-to-hand.”

“Alright then,” Robin agreed. “I’ll show you some basic stuff for now since it’s late.” Raven nodded and stepped onto the mat. “The first thing you’ll want to handle is your balance,” Robin instructed. “If you aren’t in control of your body at all times, that compromises everything you want to do.” Raven jumped up and down lightly, warming herself up.

“So, what are we starting wi—whoa!” she cried out, as Robin suddenly lashed out with a kick to her side. She fell down and Robin stood over her.

“That wasn’t even that hard of a kick. See how important balance is?” he said, offering a hand. Raven batted it away in irritation.

“I see how we’re going to do things then,” she said annoyedly, getting back up.

“Let’s take it easy here,” Robin chuckled. “I was only testing you. We’re going to start—yah!” This time he cried out as Raven delivered a punch to his stomach with surprising speed. He doubled over on the ground in pain. The empath smirked at him, but after a few seconds her face turned to worry as he was still bent over in the fetal position.

“Are you alright?” Raven asked, getting down on one knee. “I can heal you quickly.”

“No need,” Robin grunted, cracking a smile. “I’ll be fine in a moment. I didn’t know you could punch that hard.”

“Honestly, neither did I,” Raven admitted, back to her usual sarcastic demeanor. “Perks of being a half-demon, I guess.”

“I only wish I’d shown you earlier now,” Robin said, getting back up. “Are you ready?”

“Whenever you are, Boy Blunder.” For the next hour or so, Robin showed Raven some simple punches, kicks, and blocks, with Raven first practicing on the bags and then sparring a bit with the Boy Wonder. Raven was indeed a quick learner, and Robin found himself quickly upping his level in order to challenge her some more. She did hit hard, even when she didn’t mean to, and Robin allowed her to construct barriers with her soul-self during blocking like she did in actual combat, adding to the difficulty. Although her timing was still off more often than not, when she did execute a successful block Robin found his fist or foot hitting against what felt like concrete. Finally, the two ended their training session, both sitting down on the bench and breathing heavily.

“It’s past midnight,” Robin said, checking the clock. “I’m gonna get some rest. You should too.”

“Stating the obvious.”

“Being sarcastic.”

“Did you expect anything else?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Not really, no,” he said. “But thanks for keeping me company.”

“And thanks for showing me everything,” she answered. Standing up, she went up to him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He initially felt a little embarrassed, before looking into her amethyst eyes and feeling a wave of calm wash over him.

“Good night,” he told her.

“Good night,” she responded with a small smile. He let go of her, and she turned and headed for her room, her cloak majestically flipping behind her as usual. Robin watched her leave, still feeling a floaty sense of contentedness. He then closed the lights and shut down the gym, getting his much-needed rest as well.


	14. Acknowledgement

“Sloppy,” Robin scolded as he caught her fist and twisted it. Raven inhaled sharply in pain as he let go of her arm, swinging it back towards her. “If you’re going to try something like that, at least make it so your body language doesn’t give it away.” After she had gotten the basics down quickly, moving on to more advanced techniques had been quite a challenge. They’d been practicing for days now after the first session, and he’d always been more than accommodating, training with her whenever she felt she needed more practice. Morning training today hadn’t been particularly strenuous, so she thought she’d give it another go.

“Enlighten me on how you’re supposed to go for a punch without the rest of your body moving,” she muttered.

“Like this,” Robin answered, and his fist lashed out at her. She quickly threw up a barrier and his knuckles collided with the black shield, producing a dull thudding sound. This time Robin grimaced and pulled his arm back. “Every movement you make has to be one fluid motion. You can’t think, I have to lunge forward first, then throw my arm towards him.”

“Fluidity. How poetic.” She went for a sweeping kick and caught his foot, causing the Boy Wonder to stumble before regaining his balance with his other foot. Determined not to let him recover, she followed up with another punch, this time connecting with the side of his abdomen. He fell on his back and she stood over him, smirking. “Does that count as one motion, Boy Blunder?”

“Don’t let your guard down,” he admonished, and jumped up quickly, flipping over her. She spun around just in time for his foot to connect with her face, sending her flying across the gym. Dazed, she sat up and saw him approaching. “Relax,” he reassured her. “I won’t do anything more to you for now.”

“I brought this on myself, didn’t I?” she mumbled.

“You asked me not to go easy on you. I figured you wouldn’t like it if I only pretended to,” he said, offering a hand. She took it and got up, dusting herself off. Her cheek was still smarting from the kick, but the numbness would cease soon.

“Ready for more?” she asked.

“You know I’d do this all day,” he said with a smile. “Let’s go for a few more rounds, then I wanna grab some lunch after.”

“Works for me,” she agreed. Even though she wasn’t that hungry (she never really felt hungry, in all honesty), she understood Robin’s needs. They launched into another dance, neither able to gain a definitive advantage over the other. When Raven wasn’t sure of what to do, she would just construct more barriers, making it difficult for Robin to strike. On the other hand, Robin was by far the more experienced and superior fighter, and was able to defend her attacks just as well. Robin concentrated, keeping her at bay while scanning for an opening. He felt her emotions through the bond, and tried to tune them out, believing them to be a distraction. He flipped backwards, dodging more punches and kicks from her, but he could still hear them, although faint, in his head. In a moment of revelation, he focused on them, trying to sense what she was thinking. In a split second, she lashed out again and he caught her arm this time, lifting her and throwing her down on the floor. She groaned and he helped her up again.

“I thought that was one motion,” she groused. “What else aren’t you telling me?”

“No, it was perfectly executed,” he replied. “But I was able to feel…something else,” he added, tapping his temple. She nodded in immediate understanding.

“I felt a little bit of you too. Couldn’t concentrate on it since I was too busy blocking.”

“Once you get more practice defending will be instinctive, not reactionary,” he told her. “Then you’ll be able to think ahead and strategize. Or focus on the bond, in this case.”

“It’s really not all that different from how they portray it in books,” she commented.

“Books?”

“I read more than just fantasy novels, you know,” she said. “Sometimes it’s nice to have something unfamiliar for a change.”

“I see,” he mused. They went for a few more rounds, Raven holding her own but still ultimately tiring first and taking an elbow or a foot that knocked the wind out of her. She breathed heavily, taking a swig of water and wiping the sweat from her brow with a towel. Robin did the same, drinking from a big canteen and stretching his limbs to ease the soreness.

“We shower and I’ll meet you in a few minutes for lunch?” he asked. She nodded and they headed for their respective rooms. Raven tossed her leotard and cloak in the hamper and turned on the water, setting it to a cold temperature to cool her off. Short showers were just one more reason why she kept her short hair, and varying water temperatures didn’t bother her that much given that her demonic side would always adjust to compensate. The empath usually let her mind wander about her insecurities or her own curiosities, but today she was content to be free, to allow her thoughts to be a blank slate and just let the water run over her. Something she hadn’t gotten to experience in a long time, but was enjoying more often lately.

“What do you mean, there’s no food left?” Robin threw his hands up in sarcastic amazement.

“I’m telling you, man, we already ate,” Cyborg shot back. “It’s way past noon already. We didn’t have many leftovers to begin with. BB ate all the vegetarian stuff and Star and I finished the rest.”

“Seems like it wouldn’t be a problem if you just ate less,” Robin muttered under his breath.

“Chill out, dudes!” Beast Boy called from the couch, where he and Starfire were watching a sitcom. “Just go out and get something or order delivery. Easy!”

“What’s going on?” Raven asked as she strode down the stairs.

“Apparently, we have no food left,” Robin told her. “No leftovers in the fridge. And everything else got cooked.”

“No big deal. Let’s just head out,” she decided. Robin was mildly surprised by her quick decision, since she wasn’t usually one to advocate for eating expensive and unhealthy food in the city, but he didn’t see any other alternative.

“Going on another date?” Beast Boy taunted.

“I do not understand,” Starfire interjected. “Our friends are merely going for some food and—”

“Lovebirds,” Beast Boy sang. Cyborg and Starfire looked awkwardly at the two birds, and Robin and Raven exchanged glances. Robin was unsure of what to do, given that he still probably couldn’t define what they were, but Raven had long grown used to the meaningless verbal barbs from the immature green shapeshifter. A wisp of black energy sprouted from her hand and found its way into Beast Boy’s pants, giving him a wedgie so brutal he tumbled over his head and off the couch. The sorceress’ expression stayed stoic the entire time.

“Shall we?” she said, turning to Robin. He grinned and followed her out the door.

“Man, you were asking for that one,” Cyborg teased Beast Boy.

“My suspicions are confirmed,” he muttered, pulling his briefs back into place with an accompanying snap and yelp. “Didn’t I tell both of you?”

“Calm down, BB,” Cyborg cautioned. “You know those are the two people in this tower you don’t wanna mess with. Let them mind their own business, and you mind yours.”

“Whatever. It’s not like I’d ever believe they were a thing anyway,” he said, shrugging.

“What does this mean?” Starfire asked.

“It means BB can’t see them as an ‘item’,” Cyborg told her. “He’s been striking out so much on his own love life, he feels the need to critique others’ now.”

“Oh, you’re one to talk,” Beast Boy shot back.

“Chill out, dude,” Cyborg chuckled. “Go enter another tofu-eating contest or something.”

“You know what? I will,” he answered, and left for his room.

“I believe Beast Boy is exhibiting what you call ‘the grumps’,” Starfire commented.

“He just doesn’t like being told what to do,” Cyborg said. “It makes him feel like a little kid.”

“Is he not little?”

“He is. Some people just like to pretend they’re bigger than they are.”

Robin and Raven had settled on a cozy, local sandwich shop for lunch. It was past the lunch rush but there were still a few people sitting in the shop, reading newspapers or working on their laptops.

“How’d you find this place?” she asked as they scanned the menu.

“Yelp,” he replied, shrugging. She let out a small laugh as they kept looking. After a few moments, they placed their order and found a table for two by the window. The kitchen made their order with surprising speed and within a few more minutes, their food was set in front of them. Robin licked his lips at his roast beef sandwich while Raven had gone with a simple soup and baguette combo.

“You sure that’s gonna be enough?” the Boy Wonder asked, concerned. “I mean, we went for a while today. You need protein after a workout to help your muscles recover.”

“I’ll be fine. There’s some beef in this soup,” she reassured him. Robin dug in, ravenously eating his sandwich, while Raven took small sips of her soup, seemingly lost in thought.

“Good work today, by the way,” Robin complimented. “You really are a fast learner. Ice skating and now this.”

“It’s nothing,” she dismissed, shrugging. “When you read a lot, you store a lot of random knowledge away until you find a use for it.”

“Still, part of it is innate,” he insisted.

“Whatever you say, birdbrain.”

“Next time we’ll work the bag. I’ll show you some combos.”

“Combos? What is this, one of your videogames?” she remarked sarcastically.

“Actually, pretty similar,” he laughed. “When you go on the offensive sometimes it’s best to plan ahead to keep your opponent down.” They ate some more and Raven thought about his words. It was interesting getting to pick his brain, listening to him talk about combat and strategy. It was much like the same way she had explained to him about tea, dark poetry, and open mic.

“Beast Boy seems to be a little…jumpy lately,” he brought up. She set her baguette down and raised an eyebrow.

“I noticed. What do you think he thinks of us?”

“Who knows. He’s always fancied himself as the second-greatest detective in the city.”

“Right, if theories about zombies and killer robots count as quality detective work,” she muttered.

“Do you think the others know? Or suspect anything?”

“Well, in all honesty, it doesn’t really matter. I can’t really define what we are either,” she said bluntly. Her answer caught him off-guard, and his words caught in his throat.

“Well, uh…” he stammered. Damn it, he was sounding stupid now. “What do you think we are?” he offered quickly. This time, it was she who had to stop and think for a moment.

“I think we’re two very good friends,” she said after a while. “Who have both experienced a lot of pain, and would like to avoid more of it.”

“Two very good friends,” he repeated. “Who want to take another step…but are bogged down by the past.”

“Yes, you’re right,” she acknowledged with a small smile. “Two very good friends…who have a bond. And a full book of special moments.” She felt a sense of relief from him, but more than that, an increasingly strong glimmer of hope.

“Raven,” he murmured. “You remember…that morning. What we said.”

“I do.”

“I don’t know…I feel like we stuck to it, yet not somehow,” he thought aloud. “What we agreed to…it’s kind of like we’re toeing the gray because of it.”

“Robin, I’ve been walking in the gray my whole life,” she said bittersweetly. “But I feel you…maybe it’s time to step into something more…definitive.”

“This might not be the best place to talk about it,” he realized. She nodded in agreement.

“Rooftop. Tonight,” she mandated.

“Sounds like a plan,” he agreed. They spent the rest of the meal in silence, finishing their lunch before heading back to the tower.

Raven sat in her room for most of the afternoon, meditating and reading. She reflected on the conversation with the Boy Wonder, trying to plan what she was going to say to him. Why had she just suddenly…brought it up? It wasn’t as if Robin had been hinting at their relationship. He had just been commenting on Beast Boy’s stupidity. At least she was telling the truth. Even though she had grown closer to Robin than she ever felt with anyone else in the past couple of months, she still wasn’t sure where their mutual understanding was. It was like a nagging annoyance that had manifested itself at an inopportune moment.

_Go forth and conquer!_ Brave Raven yelled in her head. _The time is now! Strike while the iron is hot!_

 _No way,_ Timid Raven shot down. _We should wait a little longer._ He likes to take it slow just like we do.

 _Guys, I’m dying over here,_ Happy Raven whined. _Please, can we just be official already?_

 _Not. Helping._ Raven thought, gritting her teeth.

 _If I may interject,_ another voice rang out as she saw a yellow cloak fly across her eyes, _Perhaps the best course of action would be to assume that moving forward is the correct way to handle this situation. This will allow you to focus on how you go about achieving this official status, rather than asking if it is the right move._

 _What she said,_ Happy Raven tacked on.

 _Everyone, please._ A new voice sounded in her head and the other voices quieted to murmurs. Raven closed her eyes and saw streaks of majestic purple. _Forgive me for not advising you sooner._

 _You don’t need to apologize, believe me,_ Raven thought.

 _In these types of situations, I am tossed around rather easily by the others,_ the voice explained. _But, as you clear your own confusions and doubts, it makes it easier for me to appear. I believe that the time is right, Raven._

 _For…_ Raven began, trailing off the thought.

_For you to begin a new chapter. You can feel me, Raven. I am the thing that gives you warmth, and feelings of affection and companionship. I am…the manifestation of your positive energy. Of your passion._

_So…you accept what the others are saying._

_I accept not because of what they feel. But rather, because of what I feel from you. You haven’t felt this way in a long time, nor has it been this strong. You know what I’m talking about, and you know what is right._ And with that, all of the voices faded. Raven opened her eyes, which were directed straight at the window. She stared outside, still reeling from the multitude of voices. Recomposing herself, she took a deep breath. She did know what to do.

While the empath was occupying herself with her spiritual side, the Boy Wonder was attempting to cover everything in his contemplation about the situation. Haunted by the past…it was true. If he took the next step, he was placing another level of love in someone he couldn’t imagine life without. The thought of Slade still lurked in the back of his mind, and he gritted his teeth. Fury bubbled in him as he thought of how the mercenary had tormented both him and Raven. He was still out there somewhere, and he couldn’t let his guard down.

Robin had also had experience with Starfire. That was something fleeting, something that seemed like a good idea at the time before getting struck with reality. He thought back to all his interactions with Raven since…since the day they unofficially secured Jump City. The numerous times they watched the sunrise, the long talks about him and Starfire, the small details they discovered about each other, ice skating, tea, open mic, and martial arts. He hadn’t realized it at the time, but they were a perfect fit for each other. Learning meditation from her had allowed him to both focus his thoughts and understand her on a deeper level that he doubted anyone else ever could. Unlike him and Starfire, after the promise, they seemed to embrace their relationship. While he and Starfire danced around their feelings by avoiding both talking about it and doing something, he realized he already had the comfort around Raven to act like they were something special. Now all that was left was to…acknowledge it. He was still a little wary it wouldn’t end well. That was just his personality. But take away that bit, and he couldn’t come up with any more reasons.

The empath was already facing the bay when Robin made his way up to the roof. Hearing his footsteps, she turned and began to walk towards him.

“You have something to tell me?” he asked lightheartedly, as they embraced.

“I might,” she replied. “Do you have something to tell me?”

“Raven,” he began. “There’s been a lot on my mind lately.”

“Join the club,” she breathed, as a light breeze kicked up and blew their capes up a bit.

“You once told me I knew you better than anyone else. But what I didn’t tell you was…you also know me just as well.”

“Even more than…” her voice trailed off.

“Yes,” he said firmly. “I believe it when I say it, Rae.”

“Robin,” she started. “I’ve always trusted you. Right from the beginning.”

“Beginning?”

“That day when the Gordanians invaded. You remember, don’t you?”

“It’s still clear as day in my mind.”

“When you told me you knew enough. I felt everything about you at that moment. And I figured, even though I didn’t know you very well, that you were someone who I could count on, no matter what.”

“Do you realize how much you’ve helped me?” he asked.

“There’s probably more than I can remember,” she laughed lightly.

“When you went into my mind, at no point did I feel uneasy about it,” he told her. “All my memories, all my deepest thoughts…I didn’t think twice about you seeing those things. The entire time, I just wanted to keep you safe. I always have.”

“It’s even now, though,” she said with a small smile. “And there’s a reason for that.”

“It’s more than just trust, Raven.”

“It is,” she confirmed, looking into his eyes. Even behind the mask, she could feel the normally piercing blue soften for her. “It’s an affection. For someone you care about as more than a good friend. More than family, even.” They gripped each other tighter and Raven could feel butterflies in her stomach now.

“It’s always been you,” Robin breathed. “This whole time. You were the one.”

“As were you,” she said softly. “I’ve…accepted it. No. Embraced it.”

“I love you,” Robin whispered, and gently pressed his lips to hers. This time, it felt so right. His body felt electric, and all the hairs on him stood on end. They kept their lips there for what seemed like an eternity, both of them taking in the genuine happiness from the moment. Finally, they broke free, still hugging each other tightly as the night grew fuller.

“I love you too, Dick,” she said softly, and reached up to remove his mask. She looked into his deep azure eyes and not only saw, but felt the passion within him.

“Dick,” he repeated. “Nobody’s called me that…in a long time.”

“You didn’t really think I didn’t know your real name, did you?” she teased quietly.

“I hope I don’t get used to hearing it from you.”

“Don’t worry. I planned on only using it for…special occasions,” she whispered, and kissed him again. Happy Raven went wild inside her while Brave Raven congratulated her on returning the favor. She didn’t care. She just wanted to have this moment for herself, and for the both of them. Another half-minute passed before she let go. Retrieving the mask, she softly pressed it back onto his eyes, giving him the look that everyone else knew him by.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“Thank _you,_ ” he repeated back to her. They turned to face the shining crescent moon in the night sky, before Robin noticed that both the hoops on the basketball court were bent to impossible angles. “Uh, Raven…” he started, pointing in the other direction.

“Oops,” she giggled softly. “My bad. I’ll try to be under control.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he told her. “What matters is that we’re both happy.” He followed her as they sat down at the edge of the tower, letting their legs swing freely over the bay.

“You have a few more minutes to spare, Boy Blunder?” she asked.

“Depends on what you have in mind,” he answered coyly. She shook her head and took his hand, gripping it tightly with her own.

“Just a little…stargazing,” she said, beaming.

“Of course.” He wrapped his arm around her and the two birds sat contentedly, enjoying the quietness of the night and their finally-acknowledged love.


	15. Day In the Life, If Only

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The birds spend their first day together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry not sorry BBRae shippers

The dead of Jump City winter still wasn’t a typical snow-filled few months by any stretch of the imagination, but it did get chilly especially near dawn and dusk. On this morning Robin had risen even earlier than he usually did, and he stared out the glass windows of the main room at the calm waters in front of the tower. He made his usual checks, monitoring all frequencies and scrolling through the database of villains they had compiled to see that everyone was still under lock. Folding his arms, he sighed. No matter what, he was still going to follow his routine. The city hadn’t seen any action in months and the Titans had been reduced to semi-normal teenager lives as a result. No school, but all the training, bickering, and activities that came with living with four other teenagers. But for him, something out of the ordinary…

He was surprised when two hands suddenly found their way around his waist and pulled him back. He looked down and found two black sleeve-clad hands wrapped around each other.

“Good morning,” she murmured softly. He turned around in her embrace and returned the gesture, pulling her in tight.

“Good morning, Rae,” he greeted, smiling. He brushed a loose strand of hair out of the way and gently kissed her cheek, sending shivers down her spine. They sat down on the couch, the empath snuggling closer to her boyfriend to feel his warmth. “You moved pretty quietly. Didn’t hear you coming,” he commented.

“Levitating has its benefits,” she replied. “Now, about last night…”

“It was amazing?” Robin said, uncertain if he was finishing her sentence or not. She shook her head.

“Yes, it was, but that wasn’t what I was going to say,” she answered. “What I was going to ask was…did I really ask you to do some ‘stargazing’?”

“Uh, I think so,” he told her, scratching his head. She shook her head again in amusement.

“What they say is true,” she chuckled. “Love makes you crazy.”

“It was a natural thing to say,” he defended. “I didn’t mind.”

“Look at me, Boy Blunder, and tell me that ‘let’s go stargazing’ is a natural thing for me to say,” she said icily. His eyes shifted around a little, trying to avoid her glare, before she couldn’t hold her face anymore and started cracking up. At this, Robin laughed along with her. It wasn’t a boisterous, loud scene like the other three would make when they found something funny, but rather a light, wholehearted moment between the two. Robin put his arm around her and they sat in silence, enjoying the weaker, but still shining sunrise. A few minutes passed, but the room was still silent. And that was just how they both liked it.

The door slid open after a while and Robin craned his head over the top of the couch.

“Hey, Cyborg,” he greeted, only to stop his words when he saw green.

“Cyborg?” Beast Boy asked, pointing back at him. “You were expecting Cyborg?”

“Uh, yeah,” he replied. “Cyborg usually gets up earlier than you and Star.” Even though Beast Boy couldn’t see that he had his arm around her, he still let go just in case.

“Hm. Well, in any case, I hope I didn’t interrupt any private bird conversations,” he said, walking over to the fridge.

“Why do you say that?” Raven piped up. They both turned to her, and she looked at Beast Boy innocently. For some reason, this made Robin more scared of her than when she was angry.

“Oh, I don’t know. This is only the 450 gazillionth time you two have been together alone,” he pointed out.

“So what do you think that means?” she asked. It was a soft tone, but even Beast Boy could sense that there was something sinister underneath it.

“Uh, well, I think it means you guys are…really good friends,” he amended. He laughed nervously and pulled out a skillet. “Well, gonna make some tofu eggs. You guys want some?” They both shook their heads and Beast Boy turned around, quickly starting up the stovetop.

“There. I bought us some time,” Raven said to Robin.

“I’m impressed,” he told her. “You’d make a really good leader.”

“No I wouldn’t,” she dismissed quickly.

“When you talk, people listen.”

“They listen because of fear, not because I’m charismatic,” she corrected him. “Which suits me fine. I’m used to the shadows.”

“If you say so,” Robin shrugged. “Still impressive.” Raven started brewing some tea and Robin went over to get his ingredients out for breakfast. “So, why are you up so early?”

“A good vegetarian breakfast dish takes time to prepare,” Beast Boy proclaimed proudly.

“And…you don’t normally do this because…?” Robin questioned.

“I felt like it,” he answered, shrugging. “I’m hungry for some gourmet tofu eggs today.” Robin hopped on the stovetop as soon as Beast Boy was finished and started making his own eggs, along with bacon and French toast. He figured he’d make some for everyone else since no one seemed to be in a hurry to use the kitchen at the moment. The aroma from the food was tantalizing and he felt his stomach growl. His thoughts were interrupted by a glimpse of blue out of the corner of his eye.

“Tea?” Raven offered, setting a mug down on the counter by him. “It’s matcha. Pretty strong variant of green tea.”

“Sure,” he replied, still grilling the French toast. “Set it down on the table and I’ll be right over.” She nodded and brought their mugs with her. Robin finished everything on his breakfast and brought the plates of food over to their dining table. Beast Boy instinctively scooted a little further away from the bacon, and re-dug into his own vegan feast to compensate. He peeked over at the two birds. So far, nothing today. Robin was piling his own plate with his cooking and Raven was quietly sipping her tea, looking straight ahead at nothing. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being a third wheel. For once, he was at a loss for what to say. He normally didn’t care how people reacted to his big mouth, but for now he couldn’t help but shift uncomfortably in the silence.

“What smells delicious?” a voice boomed. The three turned to see Cyborg enter the room with a bright grin. “Is that French toast? Yum!”

“Help yourself,” Robin said, gesturing to the plate. “I made enough for everyone.” Cyborg eagerly grabbed a plate and fork, stabbing through a bunch of slices. Raven calmly took one, nibbling on the edge in measured bites, a stark contrast to Cyborg’s loud chomps.

“This is good,” Raven commented to Robin.

“Don’t flatter me,” he chuckled. “Tell me how it really is.”

“I’m serious. It’s good,” she repeated. “Perfect texture, right blend of sweet and salty.”

“And the bacon?”

“Bacon is repulsive,” she dismissed. “I’ll have some eggs though.” She scooped some scrambled eggs on her plate and Robin stopped to watch her a little bit. Despite how long he’d known her, he was still discovering new things each day. Like the way she deliberately handled her fork, and made sure to clean up the loose crumbs on the plate, pushing them back to the center. The rest of them had just about finished when Starfire entered at last, floating over to the table.

“Friends!” she greeted. “What is this delicious aroma I smell?”

“French toast,” Cyborg told her. “All thanks to Robin!”

“It’s really not that good, guys,” he said, holding his hands up. “I just whipped some leftover stuff together and made it.”

“Don’t ask me, Star,” Beast Boy said. “Can’t eat that. It’s got egg on it.”

“We shall see,” Starfire proclaimed, and pulled out a bottle of mustard.

“There’s plenty more to go around,” Robin said. “I’m finished eating.”

“Ditto,” Raven echoed.

“More training today?” Beast Boy asked nervously.

“Actually, I didn’t have anything planned,” Robin admitted. “So I guess…we have the day free to ourselves.” Beast Boy let out a whoop and similar reactions followed from Cyborg and Starfire. “Have fun, do whatever, and remember to be on alert.” The two birds went into the hallway and relaxed almost immediately.

“Some leader you are,” she teased. “What happened to ‘no days off’?”

“A little birdie might have distracted me from planning out the days ahead,” he replied with a wink. She let out a tsk-tsk and linked her arm around his as they continued walking down the hallway.

“What were you going to do with this day, Boy Blunder?”

“I can give you a list of things I don’t want to do today,” he said coyly.

“Shoot.”

“Go karaoke with Beast Boy, watch Cyborg fix up the T-Car again, go shopping with Starfire,” he listed off.

“I actually don’t mind shopping that much now. It’s amusing to help Starfire with her wardrobe choices.”

“Yeah, well, let’s agree to disagree,” he responded.

“So,” she said, drawing in closer, “What did you want to do today?”

“More of last night would be good,” he whispered, and pressed his lips to hers quickly. It was a quick peck, not like their special moment the night before, but she still came away feeling just as satisfied.

“We’ll see,” she said quietly. He frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s going to be a lot harder to find ‘us’ time now,” she told him. “Unless, of course, you plan on telling them sooner rather than later.”

“True,” he conceded. “I guess we should, I don’t know, come up with a way to tell them.”

“Sooner would be good,” she agreed. “Keeping it a secret will only make it a burden.”

“But how?” he wondered. “I feel like they’d each react differently if we told them all at the same time.”

“We’ll figure something out,” she said. “Clearly we need time to think this through and—”

“Friends!” Starfire exclaimed as she peeked into the hallway. “Robin, the toast of France was most delightful! Will you join us for some games?” The two lovers glanced at each other. Raven felt a little uncertainty exuding from Robin, while Robin couldn’t sense anything outstanding from Raven.

“Sure, Starfire,” Raven said, nodding. “We’ll come right over.” Starfire flew back into the main room and Raven led the two back.

“I thought you said we needed more time to figure this out,” Robin whispered to her.

“Just because we’re at a special level now doesn’t mean we can forget about friends,” Raven whispered back. “They’re important too. We can be with them now. There’ll always be time later.” Her words struck Robin as overwhelmingly true. Even if they were both eager to spend all their time with each other, they couldn’t just abandon their friends. It was a balancing act.

“Ready for me to open a can of ass-whup on you in Smash?” Cyborg taunted.

“Bring it, tin man,” Robin sneered. He picked up a controller and stretched his fingers.

“Winner plays me,” Beast Boy declared. Robin and Cyborg exchanged knowing glances, acknowledging the fact that both of them could beat Beast Boy fairly easily.

“Boys,” Raven muttered. She got up to go get a book, but was stopped by a tug of her hand from Starfire.

“Friend,” Starfire said. “This game is most amusing! Shall we watch?”

“I’d rather just finish my novel, actually,” Raven replied, letting go of her hand.

“Aw come on, Raven!” Beast Boy called. “Just watch us play for once instead of sticking your nose in a book. Who knows, you might even wanna play after you watch!” Cyborg chimed in in agreement, and now Raven was slightly irked. She looked at Robin, who gave her a nod, signaling for her to stay. She sighed and sat back down on the couch, folding her arms.

“So, what is the point of this game?” she said to Starfire, who was thoroughly entranced by the action.

“I believe it is to knock your opponent off the edge,” she replied. “Most amusing! It is just like the holiday rituals on my home planet!”

“Hmm,” Raven hummed sarcastically. She sat as the sound of button mashing grew louder and the contrived expressions on Robin and Cyborg’s faces grew more distinct.

“Yeah, get ‘em Cyborg! Nice grab!” Beast Boy cheered.

“Whose side are you on?!” Robin barked. “Oh, I get it, you’re cheering for Cyborg cuz you know you can’t beat me.”

“I can beat him just as easily as I’m about to beat you!” Cyborg declared, as his character caught Robin’s with a well-timed smash attack. The words GAME flashed across the screen and Robin steamed over in frustration. And so it went for most of the morning, with four Titans swapping out on the controllers and fighting each other, as well as occasionally doing some modes together. Raven sat, bored out of her mind, as she stared at the screen.

“You sure you don’t wanna play, Raven?” Cyborg said, offering her a controller after being defeated.

“I assure you, I’m more than okay,” she answered, irked. Robin had introduced her to a lot of his ways, but this was one thing she was never going to get behind. Instead of staring on the screen, she decided to direct her attention to the others. Starfire seemed to be enjoying every minute while Beast Boy was desperately trying to prove himself. Robin and Cyborg were entranced by the scene, their mouths almost hanging open. The joy and excitement buzzing in the air was evident to Raven, as her senses were overloaded almost the moment she focused on their emotions. She let a small smile creep across her face. As long as they were happy, she could be at ease knowing they didn’t have any worries at the moment. Especially Robin.

The rest of the day went by fairly mundanely, with Raven correctly predicting that Starfire wanted to go shopping again, Cyborg going out to film another episode, and Robin stuck with Beast Boy as they wandered the city aimlessly. The Boy Wonder could’ve done some more training, but even he was starting to tire of that, and preferred some fresh air.

“Dude, how are we doing on our budget?” he asked as they passed a scooter shop. “I could totally use a new moped.”

“Clearly they’re not very well made if you broke the last one after an hour of fighting tofu,” Robin replied. “Besides, even if we had all the money in the world I wouldn’t let you get one.”

“Why not?!” the shapeshifter pouted. “I need some way to swoon the ladies!”

“Because it’s a waste of money when you can fly,” Robin pointed out. “Just turn into a dog or something if you wanna get them to pay attention.”

“Been there, done that,” Beast Boy moped. Robin sighed internally as they continued walking through the city, occasionally stopping for pictures and autographs and eyeing some new shops that had popped up. He couldn’t wait to get back to his Raven.

* * *

“Friend, do you think this garment would make my grebnacks look large?” Starfire asked, holding up a pair of sweatpants.

“Starfire, I don’t speak Tamaranean,” Raven said, shrugging. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. What else do you need here?”

“Perhaps you could use some new clothing,” the alien girl suggested. “You could try some of these other colored cloaks here—” she said, gesturing to another rack, “or find a swimsuit for when the summer season comes, or—”

“I’m good, Starfire,” Raven interjected. “My wardrobe is nice and simple. Everything in it is something I’ll actually wear often.”

“What about this?” Starfire asked, holding up a bottle of perfume. She sprayed some in the air and Raven coughed, her face turning up at the strong smell. “Wondrous! It smells like the scent of the flowers my people use in ceremonies!”

“Right,” Raven rasped, turning the bottle over in her hand. “What a great deal. Guaranteed to inflame nostrils of everyone around you for only the price of an arm and a leg.”

“We must pay an arm and a leg for this bottle?” Starfire freaked, grabbing onto Raven’s arm. “I do not wish to lose my arm and leg!”

“It’s an expression, Starfire,” she told her, brushing her arm off. “Come on. We’ve spent enough time here.” They wandered the mall, Raven mostly acquiescing to Starfire’s desires, which included splitting a giant bowl of ice cream, exploring more “earthly hair ornaments”, and hanging out with fans. Despite her usual tolerance of Starfire’s wishes, Raven was beginning to feel a little annoyed at how long they were spending at the mall. She hoped there would still be time left when they got back. Alone time. Or rather, not technically “alone” anymore.

* * *

“How was your afternoon with our favorite green detective?” the empath asked as she sipped from her mug.

“Uneventful,” Robin answered, taking a bite out of a pastry. “It really feels like we’ve exhausted everything to do in this city. And that’s not easy.” The two Titans sat once again in Raven’s favorite café, unwinding in the late afternoon. They had both made excuses and left their respective partners to meet up again.

“There never really was much to do in this city to begin with.”

“Disagree. There’s the beach, tons of shops, venues, shows…” Robin counted.

“Which we’ve all done before. That’s the good thing about reading. You’ll always find something new,” Raven mused.

“Any recommendations?” Robin asked. “I could use a little reading. Wouldn’t hurt to just stay in the tower and have a little bit of quiet for once.”

“Depends on what you’re interested in,” she replied.

“Maybe something lighter. I’ve already lived most of the detective stories myself.”

“You’re going to have to be more specific than ‘lighter’, birdbrain,” Raven chuckled.

“Fine. How about a cliché fantasy? One that ends happily ever after or whatever,” Robin joked.

“I usually read fantasies that don’t end ‘happily ever after’,” Raven said, drawing quotation marks in the air. “But I have a few amateur ones.”

“I like it. ‘Amateur’ fantasy,” Robin chortled.

“We should go soon. You know, before the others start moaning about where we are,” Raven said, gesturing to the door.

“We can stay for a little longer, can’t we?”

“It’s a tradeoff. I suppose we could, but we’d have to deal with increasing amounts of questioning and ridicule from the others,” Raven analyzed.

“Let’s walk back then,” Robin decided. “We can still talk and have our time, but we’ll be heading back at the same time.”

“Didn’t you get here…on the R-Cycle?” Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No. I walked here and Beast Boy flew back,” Robin said, shrugging. “Come on, let’s go.” Raven nodded, finishing her tea while Robin ate the rest of his snack. They got up and walked out into the city, Robin leading the way back as he knew all of the streets from memory. Raven slowly wrapped her hand around his, turning his palm so it faced hers, and clutched it with her fingers.

“Here,” Robin said softly, as they continued down the street. He took off his glove and put it in his belt, letting Raven gloss over his bare hand. He felt warmth radiate from her and grew peaceful almost immediately. The two continued holding hands, walking as cars and bikers passed them.

“I enjoy this city,” Raven commented. “It’s not too cold here ever.”

“I actually prefer having the four seasons,” Robin remarked.

“Why?” Raven drawled. “I doubt we would’ve had as much trouble with that radioactive monster if there hadn’t been a blizzard. And try listening to Aqualad complain about Steel City winter every day. Apparently the fish there aren’t as helpful either.”

“You just don’t like winter because you’d actually have to wear more than just a cloak around you,” Robin teased. She glanced at his smug face in annoyance.

“Don’t make me slap you like you’re Beast Boy. And what’s wrong with the way I look? It’s simple and functional. That’s all I need.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the way you look,” Robin said. “In fact, I think you’re quite beautiful.” She blushed furiously and didn’t respond, looking down at the concrete while they continued to hold hands. “It’s okay,” he laughed. “We can be comfortable giving each other compliments now.”

“Some of us are more well-versed in smooth talking than others,” Raven muttered under her breath.

“Don’t sweat it, okay?” Robin said softly, feeling her embarrassment and shame. If he had to guess, he would’ve thought that Raven was upset with herself for not knowing how to react. “This is about sharing. About getting comfortable with each other. If you still want a little space, I won’t say these things—”

“No,” Raven said quietly, but he stopped as soon as she spoke. “It’s quite alright, Robin. I’m just…still not used to this, I guess. I’ve shared a lot with you. But there’s still so much more I’m keeping back.”

“Then it’s a good thing we’re in this together,” Robin said with a smile. “I’ll always be here to listen. For whatever you want, really.” Raven eased up and let out a sigh of relief, then gave him a quick peck on the cheek. They walked the rest of the way back, making note of occasional scenes or landmarks, but mostly keeping in tranquil silence, something they were both well-versed in.

* * *

“You won’t believe this,” Raven said later that night. Starfire was doing a fan meet-and-greet and Cyborg and Beast Boy were having some eating contest, so the two birds had gotten some extra time alone. The empath had been hanging out in Robin’s room, browsing on his laptop while Robin touched up his gadgets.

“What?” Robin asked, setting his staff down and sitting down on the bed next to her. He casually put an arm around her and started skimming over the screen.

“It seems that someone got a picture of us a few hours ago,” Raven said, a bit annoyed.

“Where is this on?” Robin asked. “I can hack it and delete it within minutes.”

“Reddit.”

“I…didn’t know you browsed that site.”

“I don’t,” she corrected. “I did a cursory search of news about us just to make sure the others haven’t been doing anything stupid. And this is what I came across.” She clicked on the link and a giant, low-res picture of the two on the sidewalk popped up. The angle was pretty bad; whoever took the picture had gotten the back of Raven’s head as she leaned in to kiss Robin’s cheek. Robin was in the process of turning his head in the picture, but it was still ambiguous enough that she could’ve been mistaken for going to whisper in his ear. From the angle, they couldn’t even discern that they were holding hands.

“It might not be good, but it’s close enough for them to assume things.”

“Good thing it hasn’t spread yet,” Raven commented. “Just imagine when some news network gets ahold of this.”

“Here,” Robin said, holding his hand out for the laptop. “I’ll hack it and get it deleted.”

“Hold on,” Raven responded, stopping him. “I’m a little interested in these comments on the thread.” She scrolled down and started reading them. “Disgusting. It seems like lots of these fans are…what do they call themselves…BBRae fans?”

“Interesting,” Robin said, letting out an amused chuckle. “Scroll down some more.” Raven obliged and they read through the comments together.

“Why do they think I should be with Beast Boy?” Raven wondered out loud, annoyed. “All he ever does is whine about how there’s not enough vegan food or ruin my books.”

“It seems a lot of them haven’t realized that we ended months ago,” Robin said, referring to his relationship with Starfire. “I really don’t think these ‘fans’ are in tune with the world.”

“Tell me about it,” Raven grumbled. “I never knew there was such a large portion of our fans that wanted _me_ to date _Beast Boy._ ” She shivered and handed the laptop to Robin. “Delete this before I get sick.”

“Will do.” Robin quickly typed in keystrokes for the next few minutes, until the image and all associated links disappeared. “There. Should be able to control the gossip for now.”

“Can’t control it forever though,” Raven muttered. “We should probably tell the others soon before they find out from the news.”

“Good plan. But easier said than done,” Robin pointed out. She took his hand again, and looked into his eyes as he felt her chilly confidence.

“We’ll sort this out, Boy Blunder,” she told him. “And then we can enjoy each other’s company. To the fullest.”

“I intend on it,” he said, grinning. They shared another kiss and spent another half an hour cuddled in Robin’s bed, with Raven resting her head on Robin’s chest while reading and the Boy Wonder tracking the news for crime on his laptop. Finally, Raven announced she was going to bed, and gave him a long hug before leaving his room.


	16. Dreamy Midnights and Eventful Mid-Mornings

“Four eggs beaten just like you instructed, Chef,” Raven reported as he handed the bowl to Cyborg.

“Excellent, Rae!” the robot man complimented. “Now, to scramble these to perfection…” Raven watched as he poured the eggs in a pan and started cooking. She glanced around the kitchen, seeing Starfire struggling with a can opener and Robin mixing some ingredients in a bowl. The Titans hadn’t had a home-cooked feast in a while, and since Cyborg was wrapping up his latest season of cooking, he decided to enlist the other Titans in creating this magnificent dinner.

“Friend, I am unable to open this,” Starfire grunted. “Perhaps I should pull it with my arms and—”

“Not a good idea, Star!” Cyborg cried. “It might splatter everywhere with your strength.” Raven considered it a minor miracle they had convinced Starfire to help prepare Earth food for once. Robin went over and opened it for her, mitigating the crisis.

“Dude, are you almost done with the oven yet?” Beast Boy pouted. “I gotta bake my casserole!”

“Chill out, little man,” Cyborg replied. “Once I’m done with the Sheperd’s Pie you can have at it.”

“Are you sure we aren’t making too much?” Robin asked. “I mean, I feel like we’ll have enough leftovers to last five days.”

“There’s not such a thing as too much,” Cyborg dismissed. “And if y’all get sick of leftovers, I’ll be happy to eat the rest.”

“What else do you need me to do?” the empath asked.

“Well,” Cyborg mused, stroking his chin, “Everything’s cooking right now. You could get started on the dishes if you wanted, I suppose.” Raven nodded, knowing she was the only one who would do the dishes without any complaint. Even her boyfriend had an irksome habit of being broody about it when he wasn’t in the mood to do dishes. She lifted a sponge with her powers and started scrubbing the pans, the other dishes floating around to make it more convenient.

“Alright, I’ve got your mix ready,” Robin announced.

“Perfect! I’ll just slather this on real quick and we’ll wait,” Cyborg told him.

“Meanwhile, I’ll start on my stuff,” Beast Boy grumbled as he hopped up from the couch. “At least I’m not on dish duty like Raven.”

“I’m only doing this because the rest of you won’t,” she replied curtly, as she floated the last pan into the drying rack. “Or rather, because I don’t want to hear your incessant complaining as you struggle to get it done in under three hours.”

“Gee, sounds like someone forgot to take a dose of Happy Raven today,” Beast Boy commented.

“Hahaha, good one!” Raven snapped in a mock Happy Raven voice. The shapeshifter froze in his tracks and stared at her. “You’re funny!” she continued in the same squeaky, fake high-pitched voice. She kept her cold expression on as Beast Boy’s face filled with horror.

“Uh, guys? I think someone should check if Raven’s mirror is broken,” he said nervously. He glanced at the couch and saw that the other three were struggling to stifle their laughter. “Guys! This is seriously creepy!”

“You might wanna check your veggies,” Raven said in her normal voice, pointing at the stove. “They’re gonna burn soon.” Beast Boy spun around and yelped, moving the pan off the heat. Raven joined the others on the couch and folded her arms, waiting for the food to cook.

“You should do that voice more often,” Robin told her.

“Nah,” she responded simply.

“Why not?”

“It takes a special kind of stupid to combat _that_ kind of stupid,” she said drily. “Now the real Happy is dancing around in my head.”

“Enjoy this little break, y’all,” Cyborg instructed, as if he were a drill sergeant. “Soon as the stuff in the oven’s ready it’s up and back to work. We’ve gotta put the rest of our dishes in the oven, and start up the stovetop again for the onions, and—”

“Hello?!?! What about my CASSEROLE??”

The team, with the exception of Raven, thoroughly stuffed themselves after everything was finished. Even Robin, who was generally disciplined with his calorie intake, couldn’t resist the mouthwatering aromas and dug in. Raven sampled everything but didn’t take too much of any one thing, only helping herself to a little bit of seconds long after everyone else was done.

“I feel as though my knorfka has rocked me back and forth like I was little,” Starfire moaned, slumping in her chair.

“Same. I could use a nap,” Beast Boy said drowsily.

“I regret everything,” Robin groaned. “Soon as I digest this I’m hitting the gym.”

“Come on, y’all. Me versus all of you in an eating contest right now?” Cyborg taunted. Raven simply shook her head as the others kept groaning.

“Looks like at least two of us will be calling it an early night,” she commented.

“Y’all are boring,” Cyborg yawned. “You up for some foosball in the game room?”

“I’d rather play some chess. Then if I’m still up I’ll play you in whatever.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Cyborg agreed. Robin glanced over at Raven, who gave him a reassuring look. _I’ll be with you later._ He gave a slight nod of understanding and stood up, bringing his plates to the sink.

“Rook to e4,” Raven said nonchalantly, moving the piece with her telekinesis to the spot. Cyborg squinted at the board, contemplating his move. He then picked up a white knight and moved it deep into her ranks. Raven usually let him be white, since she was the better player and preferred black anyways.

“Gotcha!” Cyborg said triumphantly. “Caught in the fork.” It was true. The knight threatened both Raven’s queen and her rook. Raven pursed her lips, then moved the rook out of the way. “Man, Raven, are you getting rusty or what?” Cyborg asked, a little confused. He promptly took the queen.

“Looks like you fell for the bait again,” she said, smirking. She moved a bishop to within direct line of Cyborg’s king. “Check.” Cyborg’s face paled as he examined the board. Moving the knight had cost him any chance of capturing the bishop to remove the threat. He was forced to move the king deeper into the corner. A few moves later, Raven surrounded his king with her pieces. “Checkmate.” Cyborg humphed and folded his arms while Raven cleared the board and put all the pieces back with her powers.

“Play me in foosball. I can’t leave tonight without a win,” he declared.

“If you say so,” Raven agreed, shrugging. She followed him to the game room and her nose promptly turned up at the sight of it. “Do any of you ever bother cleaning this up? There’s wrappers and cans everywhere, all this stuff is out of place, and don’t even get me started on the carpet.”

“I always clean up,” Cyborg said innocently, holding his hands up. “Blame Beast Boy and your b—Robin.”

“Right,” she drawled, using her powers to collect all the trash. “Well, shall we get started?” They lined up on opposite sides of the table and Cyborg reset the goal counters. Although Raven theoretically could control all of her side’s players at once, she still wasn’t quite used to deflecting the speed of the ball. Cyborg quickly racked up the goals and won the first match, then took the rematches as well.

“Aw, yeah! I’m unstoppable at this game!” he proclaimed with a big grin.

“Congratulations,” Raven said simply. Outside, a thunderstorm was beginning to pick up, the boom of the thunder echoing in the tower. The two called it a night and retreated to their respective rooms. The empath quickly showered and, seeing as how she was running low on fresh pairs of her normal outfit, threw on a comfy black T-shirt and some shorts nobody else knew she even owned. She concentrated for a moment, just to find out what Robin was doing. Exhaustion…heat…he was definitely still training. She pulled her book over to her lap, opening up to the chapter she left off on. She was going to fulfill her promise, but she still needed some alone time like always.

The Boy Wonder’s workout had begun sluggishly, but slowly he was starting to gain his strength and speed back. Over the past several months, it seemed like the gym had become a second personal room for him. None of the other Titans worked much on their physical training, and he by default had to since he based his fighting style around physical superiority. Robin strained as he made his way across the wall with his grappling hook, throwing Birdarangs at targets on the ceiling as the speakers blasted his playlist full of rap tunes. He leapt down and extended his staff, using it as a pole to vault himself towards another target, striking it with his foot. At this point, he was being forced to improvise; he’d already exhausted all of the weights and combat equipment, so he made paper targets and challenged himself with those. His training, and the Travis Scott song du jour were interrupted by a loud thunderclap that resonated within the large gym. He glanced around, checking the clock in the back. _A few more minutes, then I should probably call it a day,_ he thought. _Gotta spare some time for Rae._

Once Robin got into bed, he found it surprisingly difficult for him to get back up. The combination of the feast and his training made his body feel like lead, and he struggled to keep his eyelids open. He groggily reached for his communicator, intending to send Raven a message to come over. Just as he picked up the device, a portal opened in the door and the sorceress stepped through.

“I hope I’m not coming at a bad time,” she said knowingly.

“Switched up your outfit,” he commented.

“Don’t get used to it. I don’t remember the last time I wore these,” she told him, sitting down on the edge of his bed. “Anyways, the storm really wants to let me know it’s here to stay. You mind if I stay the night?”

“The night?” he said hesitantly. “Hmm…”

“I won’t get any sleep if it continues like this,” she replied. “And besides…” She crept under the sheets, snuggling closer to him, “I think this heated pillow here might help me with that.”

“Alright,” Robin conceded with a smile. “Maybe just this once.”

“Good,” she whispered. She laid her head on his chest, immediately feeling more comfortable and at peace.

“How was playing games with Cyborg?” he mentioned.

“Crushed him in chess. He convinced me to play foosball and crushed me.”

“So, nothing out of the ordinary is what you’re saying,” he chuckled.

“Perhaps.” She glanced up at his face, as he stared out the window. “Do you always keep your mask on when you sleep?”

“Usually. Honestly, I just get lazy sometimes.”

“Doesn’t it leave marks or something?” she said suspiciously.

“Relax. I take it off obviously when I shower and stuff.”

“Take it off,” Raven commanded, and reached up to his eyes, pulling it off.

“Hey,” Robin scolded, his blue eyes now visible to her. “Don’t do that without my permission.”

“And what are you going to do about it, Boy Blunder?” she teased with a smirk, tossing the mask behind her. He narrowed his eyes and suddenly flipped over on the bed, pinning her on the bottom. She let out a surprised yelp, uncharacteristic of her, before he silenced her with a kiss. They held there for a few moments, before parting for air.

“That,” he said triumphantly.

“Not impressed,” she said in her usual monotone voice. He frowned as she kept smirking back at him. He flipped back over on his back and sighed.

“You’re a handful.”

“Says you.”

“See what I’m talking about?” Robin said exasperatedly. “Can’t go a minute without hearing the response from you.”

“Sounds like someone can’t take the heat.”

“Speaking of heat,” Robin thought aloud, “Do you feel like it’s getting kind of hot in here?”

“Not in particular,” she responded.

“Well, I do. Maybe we should just sleep without the sheets—”

“Not a chance, birdbrain,” she stopped him, raising a hand and forcing the sheets back down. “I’m not about to freeze to death.”

“What else am I supposed to do?” Robin sighed. “Well, I guess there is one solution…” The Boy Wonder sat up and Raven watched him with curiosity. He took a corner of his shirt with each hand and peeled the garment off in one motion, revealing his toned, battle-hardened body. Raven felt herself gawking for the first time since meeting Aqualad, although it was hard to detect in the dark with only a little bit of light filtering in from the partly-covered moon.

“Much better,” the Boy Wonder remarked, and laid down on the bed again. The empath immediately inched closer to him, wanting to get a better feel but hesitating in fear of making things awkward.

“Robin…” she murmured, slowly reaching a hand out to brush over his torso.

“You like what you see?” This time it was his turn to tease her. She didn’t respond, remaining transfixed on the sight in front of her. He put his hand on top of hers and smiled, intertwining their fingers together. He pulled her into another embrace, and she eagerly accepted, wrapping her arms around him and planting a passionate kiss on his lips. They stayed there for a few minutes, exchanging kisses and tenderly exploring. She gave him a kiss on the forehead; he returned the favor with a gentle peck on her nose that made her face hot. They shared another long, satisfying kiss, holding their lips together until they both parted after a while.

“Lose the mask more often,” she breathed, her hand brushing against his cheek.

“Raven…” he said quietly. He tugged at her shirt with a heated look in his eyes. “Take this off.” She raised an eyebrow and put a hand on top of his, with a gentle, yet firm grasp.

“Uh…not now,” she said. He looked at her with a mixture of confusion and disappointment. “Let’s not get carried away, okay?” she added.

“I took off mine,” he whined softly.

“You did because you were hot,” she corrected. “No pun intended. But there were some beneficial side effects to that…”

“And we should be even,” he insisted. “Come on, nothing more than that.”

“Another time, okay?” she promised. “Maybe after a few more times we can…explore a little further.”

“Fine,” he sighed in defeat. “I’m holding you to that. You better not forget.”

“I won’t,” she said, amused at his persistence. _Boys,_ she thought for what seemed like the millionth time.

“Pinky promise?” he asked, holding up the small digit on his hand. She rolled her eyes.

“Are you five, Boy Blunder?”

“Can’t trust you’ll keep it without one,” he said with a wink. She sighed and held up her pinky, wrapping it around his. They laid back down, intending to cuddle.

“Face me,” she commanded, as they found their way back to their sleeping position.

“Fine,” he conceded. “I’ll probably end up shifting around anyway after we fall asleep.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t stay like this now,” she replied, and pinched his cheek.

“I’m beginning to wonder if I signed up for the wrong thing,” he moaned. “You’re even meaner to me now.”

“You’re funny,” she chuckled, and pressed her forehead to his, staring into his eyes. “Do you know why I do this to you?”

“Why?”

“I like you more when you’re…agitated,” she whispered, and planted a kiss on his neck, sending shivers down his spine. “It makes things a little more…interesting.”

“Oh, I get it now,” he whispered back deviously. “That’s why you were spending so much time talking with me about my problems. You’ve been scheming from the start.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, birdbrain,” she snorted, but now she was the one annoyed at the stupid grin on his face. “Cut it out.”

“Make me,” he taunted. She lunged in to shut him up but he already predicted it, ducking down and kissing her neck. She gasped as he continued kissing, giving a feeling she couldn’t get enough of. He finished and looked up at her expression, a mix of satisfaction and leftover annoyance. “Too slow,” he laughed. She glared at him and pushed him down, straddling him and leaning over his half-naked body.

“I can do this all night.”

* * *

“Man, where is Robin?” Cyborg grumbled the next morning. “He said we’d start training in 10 minutes and he isn’t even up yet.”

“Our friend Raven, although you have called her the ‘early bird’, is not awake either,” Starfire pointed out. The three Titans sat at the breakfast table, having finished up and now waiting to start combat practice.

“Yeah, aren’t those two usually the first ones up?” Beast Boy said suspiciously. “What’s going on with them?”

“Perhaps they are recovering from the copious amount they ate during last night’s feast,” Starfire suggested.

“Doubt it. Robin went to go blow some off in the gym and Raven was playing games with me afterwards,” Cyborg refuted.

“If you need some fly-on-the-wall recon…” Beast Boy offered, turning into the winged insect.

“Nah. We should respect each other’s privacy,” Cyborg replied. “I’ll give them a few more minutes, then I’m going to go knock on their doors.”

“Just remember not to knock too hard on Raven’s door,” Beast Boy muttered.

* * *

The empath awoke first, the bright rays of the sun warming her face and naturally awakening her. She turned her head and glanced out the window, then took a look at the clock on the nightstand.

“9:30? Jeez,” she mumbled to herself. She didn’t remember the last time she had slept in this late. She rolled over to face her boyfriend, who was still fast asleep. Over the night they had naturally shifted to a spooning position, with his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She looked him over, his peaceful expression bringing a smile to her face. She huddled closer to him, bringing an arm around him in return. They laid there for a few minutes until he started moving, cracking open one eye and seeing her face.

“Rae…?” he murmured, still drowsy.

“It’s me, Boy Blunder,” she chuckled.

“What time is it?” he asked groggily. “How late were we up?”

“That’s not important,” she dismissed. “It’s pretty late, if you’re curious.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek and he smiled, drawing her back to him.

“I suppose we could stay like this a little longer.”

“I’d much prefer to,” she replied, and they hugged for a while longer, kissing and enjoying each other’s warmth. She let out a sigh of contentment as she embraced him, happy to just lay there and do nothing.

“We should probably get up,” he said finally, sitting up and flipping his legs over the side of the bed.

“Nope. You’re staying,” she rejected while still laying down. She raised a hand and a dark mitt sprouted out, latching around Robin’s torso and pulling him back under the sheets. “Mine.”

“Rae, we need to get up,” he laughed.

“Sorry. You’re much too warm for me at this point to let you just up and _leave_ like that.”

“Two more minutes. Then we have to get up.”

“Five.”

“Three. Final offer,” he decided.

“Fine.” They laid in his bed for a little while longer, neither of them moving, but rather just enjoying the feeling of having each other’s company.

“Yo, Robin!” Cyborg’s muffled voice suddenly came from behind the door. “Are you up yet or not?!”

“Shit,” Robin hissed, sitting up. Raven shot up as well, putting her arms on his shoulders and peering over him at the door.

“There’s five minutes until you said we would do some combat practice? What are you doing?!” he shouted.

“Uh—er, I’ll be right there!” he shouted back.

“This is bad,” Raven said grimly.

“You need to hide,” he told her.

“No. I can make it back to my room, remember?” she said. “I’ll be fine.” And without another word, she wrapped herself in dark aura and disappeared. Robin leapt up and opened the door to find Cyborg standing with his arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently.

“Hey,” he said nervously. “Sorry for sleeping in. I’ll get dressed and we can get downstairs right away.”

“Robin,” he said sternly, looking over his shoulder at his room. “Where’s Raven?”

“Uh…” Robin started. “She should be in her room, shouldn’t she?”

“I checked her room first and didn’t get any response. Nobody was using the bathroom either. I figured _you_ might know where she is,” Cyborg growled.

“Check her room again,” the Boy Wonder said sheepishly. “She might’ve just not heard you the first time or something.” Cyborg raised an eyebrow, then went down the hallway to her room.

Raven had felt Robin’s feelings of anxiety and nervousness, but wasn’t quite sure what Cyborg was grilling him about. They’d be late for training, sure, but hopefully they could fudge some excuse along the way. She had just changed and clipped her cloak on before the knocks came at her door.

“Yes?” she asked, opening up the door.

“Where were you when I knocked earlier?” Cyborg asked expectantly.

“Uhh…” She was at a loss for words. “Maybe I was just in a really deep sleep.”

“You’ve never gotten up later than 7:30 in all the years we’ve lived here.”

“Well, there was that time we all stayed up with that movie marathon. And the time we went half the night chasing Billy Numerous and…” she began to list all the exceptions she could remember.

“Nuh uh uh. Don’t you try to distract me,” Cyborg interrupted. “I wanna know why you weren’t in your room until now.”

“What makes you think that?” she asked calmly. He glared at her.

“Let’s just say I have more than a hunch,” he said. “Come on. You’re coming with me.” She shrugged and followed him down the hallway. “Robin!” he called. “I want a word.” He appeared out of his room and strode up to them.

“What’s up now, Cyborg? If this is about training I can—”

“Spill the beans about you two,” Cyborg commanded. They glanced at each other, then back at him. “Well, come on now.”

“Spill what?” Robin said innocently.

“Nope. Don’t play dumb with me, Robin. There’s something going on with you two, isn’t there? It hasn’t exactly been hard to pick up.” Robin again glanced over at Raven, who looked back at him with an ambiguous look in her eyes. He focused on their bond, and felt what she was thinking. _No use in running. Let’s just own up._

“Uh, well, maybe you’re right,” he conceded. “There is something and—”

“Aha! I knew it!” Cyborg exclaimed. “It’s alright if you two snuck out last night to go watch the stars or whatever after the storm.” The two birds looked at each other, then back at him with confused expressions. “What?”

“Uh, yeah,” Raven agreed. “Stargazing. Let’s call it that.”

“Although,” Robin thought aloud, “It probably is time we told the rest of you something else.” He started towards the ops room and the other two followed suit. The door slid open and Beast Boy and Starfire both leapt up from the couch.

“About time,” Beast Boy told them. “Let’s get this training over with so I can play Mega Monkeys 8!”

“Actually, we’re gonna hold off on training for a little while longer,” Robin said. “Have a seat.” They sat back down on the couch and Robin and Raven went and sat on the ledge under the TV, facing them.

“What is the occasion?” Starfire asked.

“So, obviously this wasn’t the way we really wanted to tell you guys,” Robin started. “But since Cyborg went looking for us, I guess there’s really not a point in trying to hide anymore. Raven and I are, uh…”

“We’re dating,” she finished bluntly. “You can cease your shade-throwing and cryptic guessing. Here you are. It’s the truth.”

“I knew it!” Beast Boy yelled triumphantly. He jumped up and pointed at Cyborg and Starfire. “What did I tell you two? I knew it from the start!”

“I guess I kinda did too,” Cyborg said thoughtfully. “But I didn’t wanna confront y’all about it.”

“It’s alright,” Robin said. “Just something we can clear the air about. Just uh, don’t act too differently around us now that you know this, I guess.”

“You must be very happy,” Starfire said, floating over to Raven.

“Uh, yeah,” she agreed hesitantly. She wasn’t sure if Starfire still harbored some ill feelings.

“Robin is a very kind soul,” she said warmly. “I hope you will find as much joy as I did.”

“Thank you, Star,” she said with a smile. “It means a lot coming from you.” She opened her arms for a hug and the alien girl eagerly accepted, squeezing her tightly until she had to pat her to let her know the sorceress was running out of air.

“Don’t worry,” Cyborg reassured them. “We won’t treat y’all any different than we do now. Except for a few more jokes, of course,” he added with a smirk. The two birds groaned and Beast Boy turned into a monkey before changing back.

“That’s right!” he chimed in. “Can’t wait to see you two build your own nest in the tower!” They glared at him as he flashed a wide grin. He popped up near Raven, smirking. “I bet you’re gonna get a lot of RxR now that ‘RxR’ is official,” he said, elbowing Raven. She imbued her finger with magic and flicked his forehead, sending him flying across the room. The other Titans laughed as Robin got up from the ledge.

“Alright everyone,” he announced. “Now that this is clear and stuff, let’s get started with combat practice. We’re already behind, my apologies of course, so we’ll need to start up soon.” The other three exited and made their way for the training course, leaving Robin and Raven alone in the main room.

“Well. That’s done,” she remarked.

“Close call too,” he breathed out. “Good thing Cy didn’t think of many more possibilities beyond sneaking out. Just imagine if he thought we had—”

“Beside the point,” she cut him off. “It’s a mixed bag. The jokes will be annoying but I suppose they’ll also be more respecting of our privacy now.”

“For sure,” he agreed. They too started their way to the course. “It truly is official. In every sense of the word.” She looked sideways at him amusedly.

“Please,” she said with a smirk. She snatched his mask again and he growled, trying to take it back from her. “It’s really only a semantic difference. You’re still the same person with or without the mask, aren’t you?”

“Give it,” he protested.

“This—” she said, waving the mask, “is unofficial. This—” she continued, pressing the mask back on his face, “is official.” She pressed her lips against his again and took his hand, leading them down the hall.


	17. Tournament of Titans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bold = Spanish
> 
> was too lazy to add breaks, y'all know how paragraphs work anyway

“Aw, who’s calling in the middle of my morning cartoons?” Beast Boy grumbled as the TV screen went from colorful animated characters to a black and yellow T. “Better be important. Nobody’s called us in months!”

“I got it,” Cyborg said, pressing a button on the control panel. The screen shifted and Bumblebee popped up, evidently in the ops room of the Titans East tower. The team came over to the couch and watched as she began talking.

“Thanks for picking up, Sparky,” she began, eliciting a glare from Cyborg. “Just wanted to let y’all know that we’ll be in town in a few days. It’s been pretty quiet here for forever now. Thought we might drop by to see how y’all are doing.”

“Sounds good, Bee,” Robin noted. “What did you guys wanna do? We can go get pizza, hang out at the beach…”

“Sounds lame.” Speedy walked into view of the screen, brushing his hair with a comb. “Typical touristy stuff. Besides, Philly steaks? Way better than any pizza I’ve ever had.”

“What is the difference between this ‘Philly’ steak and a normal steak?” Starfire asked to no one in particular.

“Sounds like you’re just jealous cuz we live in a way better city,” Robin gloated.

“What? No way. Steel City is the best. Everyone loves us here, everyone loves us _there_ too, and we can get to Gotham in a few hours,” Speedy retorted.

“More like you couldn’t stand being on the same coast as me after I _won_ our little fight,” Robin sneered.

“Boys,” Raven muttered.

“Rematch me when we get there. If you dare,” Speedy hissed.

“Knock it off, y’all!” Bumblebee yelled. “This is just supposed to be a relaxing trip for us. Stop bickering about stuff that happened a long time ago.”

“Man, nothing’s gonna stop those two from going at it now,” Beast Boy groaned.

“Well, I suppose we have one activity already planned then,” Cyborg mused. Hearing this, a lightbulb went off in the Boy Wonder’s head.

“That’s it!” he exclaimed. They all turned to him and Bumblebee and Speedy stared expectantly. “How about we hold a tournament? Kind of like what Master of Games did, but just a friendly little competition between the two teams. Winner gets bragging rights and tons of pizza.”

“I’m down,” Speedy said immediately. “As long as Robin here doesn’t screw up and lose early, of course.”

“I suppose we could use some actual combat,” Cyborg conceded. “We have just been practicing for months.”

“Alright, I see where this is going,” Bumblebee said. “I don’t really mind either way. If the rest of y’all wanna do it we can. I’ll check with Aqualad and the twins and let you guys know.”

“Anyone else object?” Robin asked. Starfire looked intrigued, Beast Boy shrugged, and his girlfriend just looked…bored. “Alright then. We’re on for it.”

“We’ll be in touch,” Bumblebee promised, then hung up. The Titans dispersed, going back to what they were doing before. Robin hopped on the couch next to Raven, who was knitting again.

“What are you making?” he asked, wrapping his arm around her. Beast Boy noticed them out of the corner of his eye and made a face, choosing to focus intently on his cartoon instead.

“Just a little pouch,” she replied, weaving the needle in and out. “Could be useful for carrying small things.”

“How do you decide what to knit?”

“I just look up interesting things. Then try to make it myself,” she said nonchalantly. Robin leaned in closer, and looked at her directly.

“Listen,” he started. “If you’re not a fan of this whole tournament thing, let me know. I know you don’t exactly like to state things in front of everyone…”

“I’m fine,” she reassured him. “It’ll be good for keeping skills sharp. I was just quite bored with your incessant trash talking with Speedy.”

“It’s what we do,” he said with a smile.

“I know.”

“By the way…anything planned for that day? It’s coming up,” he mentioned. She looked up and stared at him for a bit, then looked back down at her needles.

“Not really.”

“You’re free now. We can celebrate in earnest.”

“Perhaps,” she said. “Maybe you should just throw something together. I’m not exactly a hard partier.”

“I might just do that,” he replied, eyes twinkling behind his mask.

The Titans East arrived a few days later, going in through the lobby like most visitors to the tower would. Cyborg went down to greet them and brought them up to the ops room, where everyone else was waiting.

“Glad you didn’t pull open our door and trip all the security like last time,” Robin chuckled.

“It was an emergency,” Aqualad defended.

“It was still a little overdramatic,” Raven deadpanned. Mas y Menos scurried over to the fridge, opening it in wonder.

“Tengo hambre!” they exclaimed in unison, pulling out a giant tub of ice cream.

“Hey!” Cyborg roared. “Don’t be going and stealing from our fridge!” He bounded over and swiped it from them, wagging his finger.

“Hello, friends!” Starfire greeted happily. “It is good to see you all again!”

“Sure is,” Bumblebee agreed. “We haven’t caught up since our little tussle with the Brotherhood. How y’all been?”

“Bored!” Beast Boy exclaimed. “I’ve literally watched everything on TV five times over. Been to all the arcades. Got all the latest copies of the hottest games.”

“I feel ya,” Aqualad laughed. “Been the same way around here too.”

“Shall we get started?” Robin asked. “Here’s how we’re gonna do it. We have nine total contestants, so we’ll have to have one play-in round. The rest of us will be seeded 1-4 on two sides of the bracket, and the winners will meet to hold the final.”

“How are we giving out seeds?” Speedy asked. “I know you’re not about to give yourself a one seed.”

“Sorry, Speedy,” Robin laughed. “But our turf, so my rules.” Speedy folded his arms and humphed while Robin continued explaining. “I’ll seed myself and Bumblebee as the one seeds to start, since we’re each leaders of our teams. Everyone else will draw straws to see who will be seeded where.”

“Fantastic,” Raven grumbled. “I have so many great memories of the last time we drew straws to decide something.”

“Remember the seeding just determines the matchups,” Robin reminded them. “It’s not necessarily an indicator of who’s better than who. It’s just so we can make the bracket.” He held out a bunch of straws and everyone grabbed one.

“So these numbers mean seeds?” Speedy asked, holding up a long red-striped straw.

“Longer means higher seed, and I’ve marked it with a number to make sure as well,” Robin explained. “There should be two of each length, plus the shortest one. The color corresponds to which side of the bracket you’re on. Red is for me, yellow is for Bumblebee.”

“Two seed on Bumblebee’s side! Better watch out, Bee,” Cyborg cheered.

“Sparky, the rematch is gonna end the same way the first one did,” Bumblebee retorted.

“Better watch out, then,” Speedy taunted. “We are on the same side.”

“Oh, it’s on,” Robin said with a grin.

“I am the third plant kernel on team Robin?” Starfire asked, holding up her straw.

“Looks like it,” Aqualad said, glancing at her straw. “I’m on the opposite side.”

“Aw, man!” Beast Boy complained. “Last seed on Robin’s side? No fair! What did you get?” he asked, looking at Raven.

“Ditto,” she said, waving her short yellow straw.

“ **I am confused** ,” Mas y Menos said in unison, holding up their miniscule straw.

“Looks like Mas y Menos are going to be in the play-in as the fifth seed,” Robin said. They glared at him and started jumping up and down.

“ **This isn’t fair, Cape Boy! We deserve to be a higher seed** ,” they shouted. Robin looked to the rest of Titans East for help, but just got collective shrugs.

“Sorry, Mas y Menos,” he told them. “Just the luck of the draw.” He then turned to Raven and Beast Boy. “Since you two drew the fourth seeds, you’ll flip a coin to see who has to fight in the play-in round.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Beast Boy moped. Robin pulled out a coin and stood between the two.

“Who wants to call it?” he asked.

“Not me. I’ll probably jinx myself,” Beast Boy answered.

“Raven?”

“Sure,” she said, nodding.

“Here goes,” Robin said, flicking the coin into the air.

“Tails,” she said simply. The coin landed in his palm and he flipped it over, waiting a moment before revealing it.

“Tails it is,” he announced. “Looks like you’re out of luck, Beast Boy. You’ll fight Mas y Menos in the play-in round.”

“Knew it,” Beast Boy sighed. Robin pulled out a sheet of paper and started writing the matchups and bracket down, taking note of everyone’s straws.

“Okay. So on my side, Beast Boy and Mas y Menos will fight first. Winner fights me, and then it’s Speedy vs Starfire. On the other side, it’s Bumblebee vs Raven and Cyborg vs Aqualad.”

“May the best man win,” Speedy crowed.

“I am not a man,” Starfire said, a little annoyed.

“Sorry,” Speedy amended, with a clearly ingenuine tone. “May the best…Titan win. I won’t take it easy on you, cutie,” he added with a wink. Starfire shot him an annoyed look.

“Real clorbag, isn’t he?” Raven said to her.

“I intend to crush him like a glorkoroach,” she said furiously. Meanwhile, the other Titans sized up their matchups, engaging in friendly banter.

“You want my autograph now or later?” Aqualad asked, smirking.

“Sound travels faster through water, _water boy_ ,” Cyborg snarked back, holding his sonic cannon up. “Hope you’re ready for a shock.”

“ **You’re going down, Senor Beast Boy!** ” The twins shouted at the shapeshifter.

“Uhh, thanks?” he said with a shrug.

“Let’s have a nice battle, shall we?” Bumblebee remarked to Raven.

“Sure. Just remember we’re still fighting to win.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t be classy about it,” she responded. The empath nodded in agreement.

The Boy Wonder had been thorough with his preparation for the tournament. He’d notified the city in advance and selected various battlefields throughout the city with their environments catering to specific Titans, such as the pier for any fights involving Aqualad. Naturally, word spread, and soon everyone was clamoring for an opportunity to watch their favorite young heroes in action. Robin had promised they’d take care of all the cleanup afterwards, and instructed everyone to keep environmental damage to a minimum. Finally, there was the aspect of dealing with the media. He’d let the tournament be covered, but no press or journalists were allowed direct contact. Of course, that wouldn’t stop misleading headlines or gossip from spreading. Beast Boy had ensured that the entire city would know he was dating Raven by the time the tournament started, for one.

“You should’ve totally told me about this tournament earlier, dude,” Kid Flash said, pointing at Robin. He sped around the tower a few times before stopping in the same spot. “You sure there’s not room for me? Put me in the play-in against your girl, dude!”

“We’ve already arranged everything,” he dismissed.

“Afraid I’ll beat her?” he teased with a wink.

“Tell that to her, not me,” he chuckled. “Besides, we need your _colorful_ talents on commentary.”

“If you say so,” he said with a shrug. “Just make sure you got enough cameras set up. I’m gonna be running around to each fight, naturally.”

“Thanks for doing this, Flash,” the Boy Wonder acknowledged.

“I want a rack of one of Cyborg’s famous ribs for doing this,” he told him.

“That’s all you want?”

“Nah. I actually thought of 100 more things I want while you were finishing that sentence. But I won’t ask for them since I’m a nice guy.”

“Go bug Titans East at their cabin,” Robin said, shaking his head.

“As you wish,” he replied, and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Robin kept working at the computer, going through more paperwork and logistical things.

“You sure you don’t need help?” Raven asked, wrapping an arm around his waist and scanning over the details on the screen. “This is a lot of monotony to be drowning in.”

“I’m good, Rae,” he replied. “I want you all to be well-rested so you can fight to your best when the tourney starts.”

“It’s just a glorified practice, Boy Blunder,” she snorted. “With exhibition-like qualities for the legions of fans.”

“It might seem like that now. But once you’re in the moment, it takes a certain effect on you. It makes you want more of it. It being winning, of course.”

“I think the formal term for it is ‘testosterone’, actually,” she said sarcastically.

“Never change, Raven.”

“Same to you, _Richard._ ”

“Don’t say it that loud,” he scolded. “Why’d you say my name, anyway?”

“Because I knew it’d elicit that type of reaction from you,” she said bemusedly.

“So this is how you flirt.”

“If you wanna call it that.”

“You’re lucky you don’t have that kind of secret,” he said with a humph. “What kind of a name is ‘Raven’ anyway?”

“Mine,” she answered almost immediately. “Got a problem?”

“None at all,” he said innocently. She punched him lightly on the arm.

“Beast Boy thinks either you or I rigged that coin toss,” she said, changing the subject.

“It would’ve been covered in dark energy if you influenced it. And does he think I rigged it in the one minute between when we drew straws and when I found out you two were the last seeds?”

“You already put more thought into this than he did,” she muttered. He snickered at that as he continued typing in the main computer.

“Have you thought about what you want? You know, for your 18th.”

“I honestly don’t know,” she admitted. “Nor do I really want anything. I have everything I could ever need or want.”

“Well, if you think of something, let me know,” Robin told her.

“Don’t make it too extravagant. That’s my only request,” Raven sighed. “I don’t want the entire city crashing the tower for a 12 hour bonanza.”

“Don’t worry. We all learned from our mistakes the first time around.”

“I promise not to blow up the cake this time then.”

The tournament started the next day, with the other Titans warming up while Beast Boy and Mas y Menos got set to do battle in the open park. The twins raced around the field while the shapeshifter transformed into different animals at rapid speed. Many fans were lined up on the sidewalk, holding phones up and nudging for position.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first annual Tournament of Titans!” Kid Flash boomed through his microphone.

“First annual?” Cyborg asked, looking over at Robin.

“He made it up, not me,” came the simple response.

“We’ve got a real treat for you today, folks!” Flash continued. “First up is our play-in match. Without further ado…the contestants! The fifth seed, the speedy siblings with a magnetic connection…Mas y Menos! They’re the second fastest around, behind only yours truly of course.”

“ **We’re going to beat Senor Beast Boy and then we’re going to beat you in the next race!** ” they shouted. Kid Flash grinned at them innocently, pretending to understand.

“Their opponent? The changeling, owner of the ability to be the entire animal kingdom at once, Beast Boy!” Flash shouted. Beast Boy flexed and winked at the spectators on cue, then turned to face the twins. “Let the contest…begin!” The twins immediately sped towards Beast Boy, who turned into a T-Rex and swung his tail in a big circle. They swerved out of the way, then climbed on top of the tail, landing punches on his snout. Beast Boy recoiled a bit, shaking his head and turning into an octopus. He lashed out with each of his eight arms, trying to grab the elusive twins as they sped around him. The fight continued on, with neither side able to gain an advantage. The green one had the versatility advantage, but couldn’t match up with the twins’ agility. The others watched, mesmerized as the first fight was turning out to be a close one.

“ **Confuse him more!** ” the twins said to each other. They ran off into the distance, making a wider circle around Beast Boy. As a tiger, he snarled and turned into a mole, digging underground. The twins stopped and sped towards the hole, looking down in confusion. The shapeshifter emerged on the other side and knocked into Mas y Menos as an armadillo, sending them both flying. Beast Boy chased after them, now as a kangaroo. The speedsters quickly got up and touched fingers to each other again, disappearing right as Beast Boy bounded over.

“Time to fight fire with fire,” he growled, turning back into his human form. He turned into a cheetah and sprinted around, glancing to see where they were at. They barreled into him and he clawed at them, only to reach out at thin air. The twins employed the same strategy repeatedly over the next few minutes, landing blows on Beast Boy in his various animal forms before retreating again. They even managed to avoid the skunk, hitting him from the front instead of the back. Beast Boy quickly tired, and as the twins hit him with another punch as he was in gorilla form, he tumbled to the ground.

“And the winner is…Mas y Menos!” Kid Flash declared. The twins high-fived each other while spectators cheered. “Stay tuned, everyone. We’ll be back for the rest of the first-round next!”

“So you’re fighting them,” Raven said to Robin.

“Yeah. Should be fun,” he said with a grin. “I was kind of hoping they’d win. I’ve already trained with Beast Boy so many times.”

“Way to support your own team.”

“It’s nothing personal.” The Titans dispersed, heading for their set fields. Aqualad and Cyborg took the T-Car to the pier, Robin and the twins stayed at the park, Starfire and Speedy headed for the rocky beaches and Bumblebee and Raven flew to the forest. Kid Flash spun in circles before striking a pose and putting the microphone to his lips again.

“We’re back on air for the conclusion of this round!” he announced. “Your winners, Mas y Menos, will now take on the Boy Wonder himself, the one-man armory, formerly of Gotham…”

“Just get on with it,” Robin interrupted. “The others are waiting for the signal too, you know.”

“Alrighty then. Someone’s in a hurry,” Flash said, lowering the microphone so he wasn’t on air.

“ **We just fought! We’re hungry! Don’t we get a break or something?** ” Mas y Menos asked the two of them. They looked at each other with blank expressions, then back to the twins.

“Anyways…” Flash started. He brought the microphone back up. “Let the contest…begin!” Robin immediately threw a flash bomb at the twins, who were caught off guard and blinded. Extending his staff, he ran towards them and swung it in an arc, knocking both of them aside. The smoke parted and they ran off, leaving Robin to follow them. Meanwhile, Beast Boy returned with a pizza box, munching on a slice next to Flash.

“Man, I am such a loser,” he moped.

“Don’t worry about it,” Flash laughed. “You did fine. You mind if I take one?” And before the shapeshifter could respond, he grabbed one and took a big bite.

“Hey!” Beast Boy exclaimed. Kid Flash promptly spit out the pizza dramatically.

“Is that…tofu on top?” he asked, disgusted.

“Uh, yeah. I’m a vegan, remember?”

“Keep your pizza, dude,” he told him, then got up again. “And it looks like Robin is taking the early advantage against the twins! His gadgets are keeping their speed at bay, and now he’s going on the offensive!” he said in his “announcer” voice.

“Dude, your commentary could use some work,” Beast Boy said.

“You should hop on here with me,” he suggested. “Beats just watching everyone else fight.”

“Hmm,” he thought aloud. “That’s actually a good idea! Hand me the mic!” Kid Flash nodded and gave him the mic.

“Hello, dudes and dudetttes of Jump City!” he screeched. “This is your new color commentator, Beast Boy! I’ll be sharing duties with Flash and providing my own thoughts on all the action! Stay tuned!”

“You probably just shattered the eardrums of thousands of people,” Kid Flash pointed out. “Try not to scream into it.”

Cyborg leapt from dock to dock on the pier, sending sonic cannon blasts into the water as Aqualad sped around underneath it. He couldn’t see where the Atlantean was swimming, and he was proving to be quite the expert at guerilla warfare, sending waves of water when he wasn’t expecting it.

“Alright, fish boy,” he grunted. “Try some of this on for size.” His shoulders opened and sent missiles flying into the water, which then promptly exploded. Aqualad came flying out of the water and Cyborg grabbed him by his neck, dragging him onto the dock. “Don’t take it personally,” he told him, and raised a fist to punch him. Aqualad grabbed his fist, surprising the half-robot with his strength, and smirked.

“I could say the same about you,” he replied, and flipped over, sending Cyborg into the water.

“You’re making this a lot harder than it needs to be,” Speedy remarked as he shot another round of arrows at the flying Starfire. He chased her along the beach, leaping from rock to rock.

“You will not win!” she exclaimed angrily, and threw more starbolts at the ground, which exploded and sent rubble flying everywhere.

“Alright, let’s see what kind of mark this leaves,” he muttered, and shot three heat-seeking arrows at her. The Tamaranian tried to dodge them, only to find they were chasing her. She flew higher and higher but they didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Eyeing the archer on the ground, she suddenly flew downwards towards him, bringing the arrows with her. Speedy saw her coming and shot more arrows rapidly, but Starfire dodged them quick enough and they hit his own heat-seeking arrows instead. The alien girl was closing in on him, and she charged up a starbolt and threw it, hitting him in the legs and sending him flying.

Bumblebee and Raven went back and forth in their own tug-of-war, flying throughout the woods and clashing electricity with magic. Raven threw rocks and branches at her, which she sliced through with her stingers.

“Gonna have to do better than that!” she yelled.

“Watch me,” Raven answered coldly. “Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!” She sent another blast of energy at Bumblebee, which hit one of her wings and sent her spiraling out of control. She morphed into her miniature self, then flew back towards Raven, stinging her with bolts of electricity. The empath was hit with a punch and sent backwards into a tree, hitting it with a loud thud.

“Alright, then,” she groaned, getting up and flying away with the mini Bee in hot pursuit. She lifted a bunch of small rocks, hurling them in her path and catching Bumblebee again. She fell towards the ground, expanding up to her normal size as she did. Raven turned around and quickly formed a shield as her stingers shot another round of electricity.

Robin had held the clear advantage from the start; not only did he know how to counter the speed of the twins, but he also held versatility in the form of his utility belt. Sensing another frontal assault, he slid a freezing disc underneath their feet, which promptly exploded and stopped them cold. The twins struggled as they were frozen up to their waists in ice. The Boy Wonder went in for the finish, swinging his staff and knocking both of them onto the ground.

“Alright, just got back from Bumblebee v Raven, what’s going on?” Flash said, appearing next to Beast Boy in an instant.

“Looks like Robin won. You wanna like, declare something?”

“Winner: Robin!” he exclaimed. Robin spun his staff and put it away, grinning as he walked towards the twins. He helped them up and offered a handshake.

“Good fight.”

“ **Rematch next time at our house, Cape Boy,** ” they said to him, each shaking his hand.

“Well, what now?” Beast Boy asked.

“I’ll drop you off at one of the other fights and run around, see how everyone’s doing,” Flash told him. “I think we’re all starting to wrap up.”

Cyborg scrambled to climb back up the docks, but the water kept pulling him down. Turning around, he furiously blasted more shots from his cannon, but Aqualad was controlling the tide from a remote location, sheltering him from the blasts. Cyborg finally climbed up, but found that the water was starting to mess with his circuits. He ran towards firmer ground, but Aqualad leapt out, sending a huge wave onto the pier. Cyborg was drawn back close to him and hit with a punch from the Atlantean, sending him flying far away. Aqualad jumped out and ran over to him, examining his work.

“Winner: Aqualad!” Kid Flash exclaimed, arriving just in time. Cyborg coughed and spat up water as Aqualad extended a hand.

“So, autograph now?” he said with a grin.

“Next time, I’m making my circuits waterproof. Then we’ll see who’s better,” he replied, begrudgingly taking his hand.

Starfire followed up with more starbolts, turning the tide and putting Speedy on the defensive. He shot arrows behind him to try to get her off his tail, but she blasted them out of the air with her starbolts and followed in hot pursuit. From the sidelines, Beast Boy whooped and cheered, reacting to every explosion or dodge as if he were a little kid. Speedy concentrated on trying to hit the flying alien, but as he fired another arrow he lost his footing and tripped over a bunch of jagged rocks. Starfire destroyed the arrow, then shot lasers from her eyes, hitting him square in the chest and causing a big explosion. When the smoke cleared, Speedy was still on the ground, groaning in pain.

“Oh, forgive me!” Starfire said, covering her mouth and rushing over. “I did not mean to injure you in any way.”

“I’m…fine,” Speedy grunted. “Or at least, I will be in a few days.”

“Winner: Starfire!” Kid Flash shouted.

“You rock, Star,” Beast Boy complimented, patting her back.

“I was angry during the fight. But I hope I did not cause him severe injury,” Starfire said worriedly.

“He’ll be fine,” the changeling reassured her. “You didn’t bombard him over and over. He’ll heal right up and be good to go.”

“Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!” the empath shouted, swinging another branch at Bumblebee. The bee dodged and charged her again with her stingers. Raven held up a shield, then proceeded to expertly block her close range attacks with her barriers. She imbued a fist with her magic and countered, landing a punch to Bumblebee’s face. She cried out as Raven followed up with a kick, spiraling out of control and towards the ground once again. Raven finished by pummeling her with the branch a few more times.

“And we have a colossal upset!” Kid Flash exclaimed. “Winner: Raven, who takes out the top seed Bumblebee!”

“Save it,” she snapped at him, and he responded with a cheesy grin. She flew down to Bumblebee and helped her up.

“Good fight,” she complimented. “Didn’t know you packed such a punch.”

“I’ve been training,” Raven responded with a smile.

The four winners met up at the park, taking a breather while meeting their next opponent. The losers joined Beast Boy in getting more pizza, and interacted with fans who were impatiently waiting for the next round to start.

“Wow,” Aqualad remarked. “Way to go, Titans East. I’m the only one left.”

“Mas y Menos were tired,” Robin said. “Had they had more rest, I think it would’ve been a much tougher fight.”

“Bumblebee and I had a pretty good duel,” Raven remarked. “And I see Starfire has taken care of business as well.”

“Yes. I have defeated the Speedy and did not allow him to do the ‘flirting’ during battle,” she proclaimed proudly.

“I won’t take it so easy on you this round though, Star,” Robin said to her.

“We shall see about that!” she said determinedly.

“Where’s Flash?” Raven asked.

“Here I am,” he responded, appearing in front of them immediately with a slice of pizza. They saw the rest of the Titans behind them, carrying stacks of boxes. “Next round starts soon. You guys should grab something to eat.”

“Pineapple? Really?” Speedy grumbled to Bumblebee.

“Don’t like it, take some of Beast Boy’s then,” she shot back. Hearing his name, the shapeshifter’s ears perked up and he rushed over to Speedy.

“Wanna try some? They’re loaded with soybeany goodness!”

“No thanks.”

“This will be enough for me,” Robin said, taking a slice from one of Bumblebee’s boxes. The rest of the winners followed suit, while Flash ran back and forth answering questions from all the camera crews.

“Alright, time for the next round!” Kid Flash announced. “The first semifinal, we have: Robin vs Starfire! And for our second semifinal, Aqualad vs Raven!”

“Looks like I’ll be staying at the park again,” Robin said to himself. He finished his pizza and stretched again, preparing for his fight with Starfire.

“And we’re at the pier because you’re useless outside the water,” Raven jabbed at Aqualad.

“I can hit just as hard on land, waitress,” he snapped back.

“Time to put those dishwashing skills to good use, then,” she chuckled. After a few more minutes, the two of them left for the pier while Robin and Starfire warmed up for their semifinal.

“Isn’t it great to just sit back and watch our teammates beat each other to a pulp?” Beast Boy joked.

“No, it’s not,” Speedy growled. “I’d rather be fighting Robin right now.”

“ **Big red hair is right!** ” Mas y Menos chimed in. “ **We should be facing the love of our life, and winning her acceptance!** ”

“Anyways…” Beast Boy diverted. “I gotta go offer up some more bombastic commentary. See y’all round!”

“Sparky got his bolts rusted by Aqualad?” Bumblebee teased.

“And looks like Bee got her wings clipped by a Raven,” he snarked back.

“Take it easy, chuckles,” Bumblebee laughed. “Don’t wanna look too much like Boy Wonder over there with the way you’re taking your loss.”

“Eh. Suppose you’re right,” Cyborg groused. “Still felt like I shoulda won though.”

The two fights started and Flash and Beast Boy remained stationed at the park, since it was the central location for the tournament. Starfire made the first move, charging Robin with her starbolts. He leapt out of the way and threw some birdarangs, catching her on her crown. She cried out and shot lasers at him, scorching the ground as he again ducked and rolled out of the way. Robin shot his grappling hook at her feet, catching one leg and attempting to drag her down. The alien, however, was obviously not lacking in strength herself, and managed to turn the tide, flying up again and dragging Robin with her. The Boy Wonder let out a surprised yell before letting go of the cable and landing back on the ground. Pulling out his trusty staff again, he leapt up as Starfire came back down towards him.

Raven was able to repel Aqualad’s waves of water with various environmental objects, but she was running out of said objects to use. His hydrokinesis quite frankly annoyed the empath, who decided she needed to find a way to successfully approach. She formed a shield and flew towards him, the dark energy shielding her from the torrent of water. Nearing, she formed a fist with her soul-self and knocked him in the jaw, making him recoil back into the water. She followed up by throwing more objects into the water, until all was still for a moment. Then, he burst out of the sea, buoyed by a tall spout of water that reached as high as Raven was flying. He sent another wave towards her, knocking her off and back onto the docks. The Atlantean hopped off his wave and landed on the docks, engaging her in close quarters.

Robin’s staff had broken from deflecting so many starbolts, and he was now moving again while throwing exploding discs to deter Starfire. The Tamaranian was stronger and faster than him, and was closing in quick. Sensing her, he leapt up and behind just as she was about to blast his back with a point-blank starbolt. He threw a freezing bomb at her, which caught her legs and brought her down. As she struggled to break free of the ice, Robin hit her with the staff again. He followed up with a bunch of precise strikes, breaking the ice freeing her but weakening her strength. Robin extended his grappling hook, wrapping her up and tying her down.

“Our first winner: Robin!” Kid Flash announced to loud cheers from everyone. Robin cut the rope loose with a birdrang and helped Starfire up.

“You fought well, friend,” Starfire told him. “May you have the best of luck in the final round.”

“Thanks, Star. Go rest up and enjoy yourself,” he replied. He walked over to Kid Flash, who was joking around with Beast Boy off-mic. “How is the other fight going?”

“Shit, you’re right,” he laughed. “We should probably go check on that. I’ll take you there if you want.”

“Let’s go.”

Raven’s barriers were holding up against Aqualad’s strength, but she felt herself weakening faster than usual when defending. She sensed an opening and struck back with a fist, surprising him with her own strength. Aqualad called up more water, sending it towards her to divert her attention.

“Let’s see if we can turn this tide,” she muttered, and took control of the oncoming wave, redirecting it back towards the sea. The shift threw him off balance, and she flew towards him, blasting him with another ball of dark energy. As he flew backwards, she grabbed ahold of his ankles with her powers, spinning and throwing him hard onto the ground, creating a mini crater in the ground.

“And the winner is…Raven!” Kid Flash shouted. The spectators oohed and aahed as Raven slowly floated down. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned.

“Guess who you’re fighting in the final round,” Robin said with a smirk.

“Starfire,” she deadpanned.

“Not quite. But you will be finishing second.”

“Bold words, birdbrain.”

“Save it for later, you lovebirds,” Kid Flash called. “Let’s head back.” Kid Flash was back at the park in an instant and Raven teleported the three of them back to the park. She shook hands with Aqualad, then went and sat down with Robin.

“Who said it was just a practice competition?”

“It is. And I got plenty of good practice so far,” she replied.

“This next one won’t quite be like that. I won’t go easy on you.”

“It’s okay. You’ve already taught me everything I need to know,” she snarked.

“Maybe everything you need to know, but I didn’t teach you _everything_ ,” he responded.

“What do you think? Tea at the bookstore after this?”

“Concentrate on the fight first like I am. We can make plans after.”

“You take things like this a little too seriously sometimes,” she laughed. “And this is coming from me.” They rested for a little while longer, rehydrating and stretching. Finally, Flash returned from getting even more pizza.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” he boomed. “Your final round, featuring Jump City’s hottest couple—in both senses, of course,” he added with a wink at them. They both stared daggers into his eyes as he ignored their reaction and continued on. “Robin vs Raven, right here at the park!”

“Yeah!” Beast Boy jumped in. “Who will prevail? The determined protégé of the Dark Knight himself, or the sorceress of Azarath? Don’t flip the channel, since we’ve got the hottest show in town!”

“Why did you let those two be in charge of commentating again? Wait, why do we even have commentating to begin with?” Raven asked icily.

“Uh, well…it’s to hold off media, I guess,” Robin said sheepishly. “Otherwise they’d be bothering us nonstop. And you know those two are the biggest personalities around.” They took their places, waiting for the signal.

“The final round!” Kid Flash exclaimed. “The moment this day has been leading up to! Let the contest…begin!” Raven immediately disappeared, reappearing in front of Robin and sweeping his leg. Robin countered by throwing a smoke bomb and disappearing. As the empath coughed and tried to regain her vision, he swung in with his staff. She quickly constructed a barrier, blocking his advances. The empath raised a hand and took control of his staff, yanking it out of his hands and swinging it back at him. Robin ducked and leaped to avoid his own weapon, and Raven finally retreated, snapping the staff in half and tossing it away.

“Hand-to-hand,” she offered.

“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” he replied, and charged her, leaping up and extending his foot. She lashed out and grabbed his foot, pulling him down to his shock.

“You taught me this one, remember?” she said with a smirk, and flung him away. Robin got up, approaching more cautiously this time. He blocked her punches and kicks expertly, waiting patiently until she tired or made a mistake. Finally, he took his chance after she went for a risky all-out flying kick.

“You’re improved, but I’m still the teacher,” he told her, sidestepping her foot and sweeping her other leg from underneath her. She fell and he pinned her, trying to keep her on the ground as she struggled.

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” she grunted, smirking again.

“What are you talking about?” he said through gritted teeth. She gave him a haunting wink and disappeared again, leaving him grabbing at the ground. He spun around just in time to be hit with a rock she hurled at his face. Snarling, he pulled out a handful of explosive discs.

“More toys to play with?” she remarked, almost in boredom, as he flung several at her. She deflected them deftly and sent more rocks his way, which he leapt on to get closer to her.

“Let’s see how this feels,” Robin grunted, and threw a birdarang that caught on her cloak. She spun around wildly as the gadget became entangled, and he followed with a swing of his staff. The empath tumbled and flipped on the ground, rolling away just in time to avoid another fierce hit from Robin. She formed a beam of dark energy and projected it towards the Boy Wonder, forcing him on the defensive again.

“Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!” she shouted, as the beam grew in intensity. Robin held up his cape for protection, but it blasted the cape aside and struck him directly, knocking the wind out of him.

“Time to tip the scales,” he muttered, as Raven drew closer. He hurled another freezing bomb in close range, which hit her stomach and encased her body up to her neck in ice. She fell on the ground, immobilized by the disc. Robin leapt back up with what remaining energy he had left, and extended his staff. “We’re done here,” he said sternly.

“Not…quite…” she grunted, and managed to flip herself over to avoid the first strike. She summoned her magic once again, breaking the ice in one motion. Lifting the ice shards up, she sent them flying towards Robin, who had to deflect them with his staff. He didn’t notice the empath herself losing in until it was too late. She hit him with an uppercut imbued with magic, then threw another rock while he was still in midair. The stone slammed into his body and he crashed into the ground, unable to get up.

“The winner, and champion of the tournament is…Raven!” Kid Flash proclaimed to deafening cheers from the crowd. Raven walked over to where Robin was laying down, and gently helped him up, making sure to heal him a little bit as she did. He smiled weakly at her.

“Looks like I did teach you a little too well,” he groaned.

“You fought very passionately. That was quite the match,” she complimented. She hugged him and he returned the gesture with passion, holding her tightly.

“PDA alert!” Beast Boy yelped, disgusted.

“Congrats, you two,” Aqualad complimented. “Great show you put on.”

“Yeah. Although you would’ve been fighting me instead 9 times out of 10,” Speedy added.

“I believe the term you use is ‘Girls Rule!’, yes?” Starfire asked. “And I shall give you the ‘high-five’.” Raven smiled and promptly slapped the Tamaranian’s open hand.

“Alright, Rae. What kind of pizza you want? Just let me know and I’ll raid the whole place of all they got,” Cyborg promised.

“Actually, I’m not that hungry,” Raven admitted. “Let’s just head back and get some rest. It’s been a long day.” The others nodded and started off respectively for the tower or their cabin. Robin still had his arm draped over her shoulder, and they slowly began to make their way back as well as the crowds cleared.

“You know we’re going to have to clean this up,” he cracked.

“Are you alright?” she asked, still concerned. “I could try reducing your wounds more if you want—”

“I’m fine, Rae,” he reassured her. “Just a little friendly competition. Nothing I can’t bounce back from in a few days.”

“If you say so,” she said quietly.

“Listen,” he said, then leaned in close. “I’m really proud of you.”

“For what? I just happened to fight well today. It’s nothing that should be that special—”

“No. The way you moved around, planned, and executed today—it was amazing to watch,” he said, looking off into the distance. “You’re incredible. In every way. And I wish I’d had a chance to just stop and watch.”

“It’s nothing, I’m serious…” she began.

“I’ve seen you work. For years. And you continue to surprise me all the time,” he said. She sighed and tried to shut him up again but he gave her a quick peck, pressing his lips against hers. She shook her head in amused exasperation.

“I’ll give you more of these if it will help you lay off the flattery,” she remarked.

“It might,” he said with a wink. “Temporarily, of course.”


	18. Eighteen

Raven stared at the clock in her hands, watching the second hand slowly tick and make its revolutions around the contraption. Almost noon. Just being in the same position still sent chills down her spine. The empath wasn’t quite sure why she was still doing this ritual; after all, they’d defeated Trigon almost two years ago now. Maybe it was just something she couldn’t let go. It wasn’t that she wanted to relive the nights of fear and anxiety that _this year_ would be the year; rather, it was just something that was ingrained in her now. She’d missed this occasion last year as they were all off in various parts of Eurasia fighting the Brotherhood of Evil, the first year of both being away from home when the day came and also experiencing the strange lack of worries she felt.

Raven put down the clock and stood up, striding over to the door. She hoped her teammates wouldn’t set up another unoriginal, bland surprise party, but wouldn’t put it past them to do the same thing. Not that she minded anymore. She’d already told Robin that she would need some time alone before joining the rest of them, and of course, he’d respected her wishes. The tower hadn’t been completely dead for the morning, but it had been…quieter than usual. Maybe they were planning a surprise party. _If so, they aren’t doing a very good job of hiding it,_ she thought to herself. Opening the door to the ops room, she was surprised to see just Robin standing alone.

“Is there something I should be aware of?” she quipped. “Where are the others?”

“Preparations are almost done,” he said, turning around with a smile.

“What do you mean, ‘preparations’?” she asked, raising a thin eyebrow.

“Come on,” he laughed. “You knew this was going to happen, no matter what.”

“Not very surprising if you ask me.”

“We didn’t go for the surprise aspect this time,” he said, taking her hand. “We invested a little more in…making this special. It is your 18th, after all.”

“Get on with it, Boy Blunder,” she said, tapping her foot impatiently.

“If you say so.” He let go of her hand and went over to the computer, typing in a few quick keystrokes. Suddenly, the room converted, with a disco ball dropping down from the ceiling and the screens flipping to various bright colors. Decorations popped up from the corners as well, completing the background. Raven took a few steps back, still taking in her surroundings in shock.

“You…how did you…”

“Happy birthday, Raven!!” she spun around to see the rest of her team, as well as Titans East, stream in from the doors. They held presents in their hands and proceeded to join Robin in facing her.

“I knew you’d need the morning to yourself to meditate and think,” Robin told her. “It was perfect for these last minute touches. What do you say we party the rest of this day?”

“I…” Raven started. “This is incredible…you spent so much time on this?”

“All for you,” he said softly, nodding his head. Just then, a notification popped up on the screen, accompanied by a ding sound. VISITORS AT FRONT DOOR, the computer read.

“Ah, our guests must be here,” Cyborg remarked.

“Guests?” Raven asked, confused.

“Let’s head down,” Robin said, taking her arm. “You’ll be quite happy to see them.” The two birds made way for the elevator, while Cyborg turned to the rest of them.

“Alright, y’all, I really need all hands on deck today. I’ve already pre-prepared most of the dishes, but with your help we can get this done over lunch and have the rest of the day to celebrate. Who’s with me?”

“Chill, Sparky,” Bumblebee yawned. “We’ll get it done, I promise. How hard can it be to throw ribs in the oven anyway?” The half-robot’s vein grew close to popping as she walked away and inspected what he had already set out on the counter.

“I hope she likes my present,” Beast Boy said to no one in particular.

“Will you tell me now who’s coming to crash our party?” Raven asked again.

“Be patient,” he chuckled. “You’re going to meet them in a few moments anyway.” They neared the door, walking down the lobby until Robin opened the door. The two giant metal barriers parted way to reveal a giant teddy bear.

“Raven!” Melvin screeched from atop Bobby’s head. Raven stared at them in shock.

“You four? But…what…how?” she stammered.

“Getting them through customs was the easy part. It was fitting Bobby somewhere that proved difficult,” Robin laughed. “And, now that I think about it, I don’t know how we’re going to get him up to the main room.”

“Easy,” Melvin responded. “Bobby can go through the roof. There’s a bigger entrance there.”

“How do you know that?” Raven asked.

“Cuz we followed you back, remember? Duh,” Melvin answered. The empath facepalmed, but was struggling to hide a smile behind it.

“Alright, you rascals,” Raven said to the kids. “Get down from Bobby and let’s take you all up to the others.”

“You have cake?” Timmy asked. Hearing this, Teether perked up as well, sucking on his pacifier a bit more vigorously.

“There will be plenty of cake to go around,” Robin promised them. The five of them entered the elevator while Bobby climbed up to the rooftop.

“Uh, why is there a giant teddy bear climbing your glass?” Speedy pointed out.

“That’s Bobby. He’s the super strength teddy bear who fought off Mallah. Remember?” Bumblebee replied.

“Oh hello, my giant adorable friend who is a bear!” Starfire exclaimed as Bobby appeared in the room. She flew over and hugged him and he smiled, being the first one who could actually withstand a crushing hug from the Tamaranian. The others arrived behind him, and the three kids ran in front, exploring the decorated room with wonder.

“Looks like we’ve got a real party up in here,” Aqualad commented. “Glad you guys let us know so we could stay a few more days.”

“You really didn’t have to do all this for me,” Raven said quietly. “Look, I appreciate everything. But I already know you guys are my closest friends. You’ve already shown me how much you care through everything we’ve been through.”

“This day isn’t about us, Rae,” Robin replied. “It’s about you. This is our way of saying what you just said. You’ve done a lot for every single one of us in this room. This is the least we can do—on your 18th, no less.”

“What Robin said,” Bumblebee chimed in. “I think I can speak for the rest of Titans East when I say we’re happy to party with anyone who kicks as much ass as you do.” On cue, Mas y Menos held up their fists, pantomiming boxers.

“Yeah! Who else could fix up the T-Car or be my sous chef as well as you?” Cyborg added.

“Or accompany me on long trips to the mall of shopping and help me find my center,” Starfire exclaimed gleefully.

“Or insult me at everything I do, which I only sometimes deserve,” Beast Boy admitted.

“Or be the greatest mom ever!” Melvin shouted, putting an arm around Teether and Timmy.

“Already told you not to call me that,” Raven said with her usual sarcasm, yet lightening up a little already.

“I hope we got it right this time,” Robin said. “Figured you could let loose a little now. And we’re making up for not getting to celebrate the last one.” Raven took a deep breath and took in the sight one more time: the “Happy Birthday Raven” flashing on the screen, the multiple decorations, smell of delicious food, and all of her friends, waiting to get started.

“On your cue,” Cyborg pointed out, “We dig in to everything I already made for lunch, I whip out Pin the Beast Boy Donkey and these giant piñatas of him, and we go until we drop.” She let a small smile spread over her face, before recomposing herself.

“There’s plenty of ice cream in the freezer, right?”

The afternoon and early evening went in a blur for the heroes. Raven couldn’t remember the last time she spent this much energy on just…pure, unadulterated fun. It was more exhausting to her than it should’ve been. She chatted with everyone as they ate, watched as Titans East jumped in on competitive video gaming, and attempted to pin some darts on the Beast Boy donkey, missing badly before using her powers discreetly to see through the blindfold and pin the target.

“Man, why does everything have to be based on me?” Beast Boy pouted, as they lined up for the piñata. “This is hazing!”

“Come on, man. You’re just easy to make fun of,” Cyborg said, rubbing his hair as the shapeshifter folded his arms. “Besides, I always let you beat my puppet up when it’s your birthday.”

“It’s not the same, dude,” he whined. Speedy handed him the bat and blindfold as he stepped out of the way. “Aw, man! Now I have to whack myself with a stick?!”

“Take it or leave it,” Speedy sneered. “I’ll have one more whack at your doppelganger if you’re passing.”

“I hope it’s alright that I only brought the kids,” Robin told Raven as they watched the argument. “I know you’re pretty close with them. I invited some others but they were busy. They all send their regards.”

“You weren’t really going to invite every single Honorary Titan, were you?” she laughed quietly. “That’s a bit excessive.”

“Thought about it. Came to the same conclusion as you. It just so happens Titans East were in town anyway. I assumed it’d be nice if they dropped in to celebrate.”

“You’re going to have to do a lot more to top this one,” she reminded him. “Everyone’s special. Not just me.”

“The rest of them agreed to it quite easily,” Robin reassured her. “Remember, no one’s birthday holds as much significance as yours. And you know the first time we actually get to celebrate it for what it is, we’re going to go all out.” Raven fell silent, thinking about his words. It was a fair point. Although they were all a family, with common threads of rough upbringings, she’d been defined by her birthday and the prophecy up until now. Distracted, she didn’t notice a certain Atlantean in front of her until she bumped into him.

“Your turn, Raven,” he said, handing the bat and blindfold to her. “We know how much you’re gonna enjoy this.” She glanced at the piñata, seeing that one of Beast Boy’s arms and legs were each hanging on by a thread, with the rest still intact. Putting on the blindfold, she grinned and let herself be spun around a few times. Taking a deep breath, Raven pulled back and swung hard.

“Watch it,” Robin said, catching the bat and stopping it in midair. “Don’t take my head off.”

“My bad,” Raven amended, and spun the other way. She took another swing, feeling the bat connect with the cardboard of the party item. Lifting the blindfold, she saw that the piñata had been split in half, with candy now streaming out of the bottom.

“Candy!” Timmy screeched, diving into the pile. The other kids, including Mas y Menos, followed suit.

“Guess we don’t get to have a crack at it,” Robin said, gesturing to himself and Bumblebee. “But that’s okay. Nice hit!”

“We can still beat up the rest of it though,” Bumblebee pointed out. “Get the rest of the candy out.”

“Oh no you don’t,” Beast Boy stopped her. “My perfect looks are already ruined. I don’t want my body mutilated any more than it already is!”

“Have at it,” Raven said, handing the bat to Bumblebee. Beast Boy shot her a look and she smirked back as Bumblebee proceeded to beat the rest of the piñata.

The rest of the afternoon went by just as fast for the Titans. Robin had brought every possible game and activity, ensuring that they would never be bored. Cyborg, per usual, had cooked up a big feast in preparation for dinner and had also bought tons of sweets and other junk food to snack on. As Raven engaged in another round of elemental cards with the kids, Starfire, and Beast Boy, the rest of the boys went for a game of 2 on 2 on the rooftop basketball court, which had been recently repaired by the Boy Wonder. More hours went by, with the ops room remaining ever boisterous but becoming even more messy.

“Teether, no more frosting for you,” Raven scolded as they cleaned up the card game just before dinner. “You’re going to be full and hyper later.”

“Can Bobby have one more cupcake?” Melvin asked, tugging on the hand of the bear. Raven looked up to meet the teddy bear’s longing eyes.

“Fine,” she conceded. “Bobby can have half. He can have the other half after dinner.”

“I did not know you made such a good knorfka,” Starfire said sweetly.

“Me neither.”

“Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes, y’all!” Cyborg announced. “But don’t fill up too much, after dinner we’ve got plenty of eight-layer cake to go around too!”

“Dude, I’m full already,” Beast Boy moaned. “Too…many…cookies…”

“ **The green one is right,** ” Mas y Menos agreed, each holding their stomachs. “ **Cupcakes were so delicious.** ”

“Come on, BB!” Cyborg said, slapping him on the back and unintentionally making him feel even more sick. “I finally figured out how to make your casserole just the way you want it. And I know you’re not gonna turn that down.”

“I just might today,” the shapeshifter replied, turning even greener than usual.

“No fish, right?” Aqualad asked suspiciously as they sat down.

“Uhhh…of course not,” Cyborg said, smiling innocently. Aqualad looked at him for a few seconds, then dug his fork into some Brussels sprouts. While he was looking down, Cyborg quickly grabbed ahold of the plate of pan-seared salmon and moved it closer to himself.

“Fantastic as usual, Cyborg,” Robin complimented between chews.

“The steak is amazing,” Speedy added. “I’m getting the last piece.”

“I’ll have something to say about that,” Robin interjected. The rest of the heroes gazed at each other in a rare moment of common acknowledgement: this rivalry was getting ridiculous.

“Raven,” Melvin said, tugging at her cloak. “Timmy needs help with his ribs.” She glanced over at Timmy, whose face was covered in barbecue sauce.

“Set the rib down, Timmy,” she commanded, and the loud kid obliged. Using her powers, she promptly sliced the meat off the bone and chopped it into tinier pieces. “There. Eat it like this.”

“Gotta say, Sparky, you should write a cookbook or something,” Bumblebee commented. “We could really use some of your recipes sometime, instead of just going out to get _fish tacos_ whenever we’re too lazy.”

“Amen!” Aqualad agreed. After dinner, Cyborg revealed his ridiculously tall cake, with “Happy Birthday Raven” written in green frosting on the top. The empath reluctantly blew out all 18 candles, and Cyborg somehow managed to cut a slice for everyone without the cake toppling over. The teams sat for a bit, aimlessly chatting and digesting their huge meals, as the sun descended towards the horizon.

“Alright, everyone. Who’s up for a dance party to end the night?” Robin asked.

“Count me in!” Beast Boy answered immediately, jumping up. The others followed suit, while Raven hung behind as they started up the disco ball. They went for an hour, with various bangers playing on Cyborg’s blown-out speakers and the team generally making fools of themselves. This was normally where the empath would retreat to her room, but for the spirit of partying, she decided to at least hang around and be amused by the awful dancing of the other Titans.

“Come on,” Robin said to her, finally coming over. “Get on the floor.”

“You’ve convinced me to try a lot of things over this past almost-year. Over our entire time, even. But you’re not going to get me on that floor,” she adamantly refused.

“Please?” he begged, extending a hand out.

“No.”

“Come on, Rae!” Cyborg joined in. “It’s a lot of fun!”

“Had a bit too much of that in my system today,” she replied. “So thanks, but no thanks.”

“But—”

“Let it go, Cyborg,” Robin quickly said to him. He then turned to Raven and leaned in closer to her.

“Yes?”

“I can spend some time with you if you want,” he whispered. “The others are pretty into this right now. I’m sure they won’t mind.”

“I’m kind of the unwilling star of this show.”

“It’ll be alright. Trust me.”

“If you say so,” she conceded. Glancing over at the counter, she saw that the presents were still laying there. “What say we go to my room and open these up?” she asked, jerking a thumb towards the counter.

“Sounds like a plan,” he agreed, nodding.

The two birds sat on Raven’s bed as she sorted through the boxes and tried to decide on an order.

“I’ll open yours last,” she declared.

“Do whatever you want with them,” Robin told her. “You can throw mine out if you want. It’s not very good anyway.”

“Don’t be like this, Boy Blunder,” she chuckled softly. She set his aside and decided to just pick them up randomly. She held up the first one, a small box covered in green wrapping paper. “From Beast Boy,” she remarked. Tearing the paper, she opened the box to find a small personal mirror, roughly the size and shape of her meditation one. A note read: _In case you ever need to touch up the details a little bit. And so I won’t mess up your meditation mirror._

“Thoughtful,” Robin commented.

“Indeed,” she agreed. She picked up another box, this one wrapped in bright pink, with a rose pattern. “From Starfire,” she read. Opening it up, she went through multiple layers of wrapping paper before finally getting to a smaller box. “I guess Starfire learned the ways of the big box trick.”

“I’m curious to see what she got you,” Robin told her. “Hopefully it’s not another meat crown.” Raven opened up the box to find a snow globe of Jump City, complete with Titans Tower off to the side in the bay. Inspecting closer, she found miniature, chibi-like versions of them all standing on top of the tower.

“Cute,” she said, still looking over the details of the city. She shook it a little, and the town was instantly filled with white powder. Turning it over, she looked at the label on the bottom. “From that antique store in the mall. Wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“It’s still a nice gift,” Robin pointed out. “It’s genuinely something Star thinks is beautiful.”

“Oh, I wasn’t insulting the gift,” she corrected. “It’s just…so Starfire of her. I’d be concerned if she didn’t go to the mall to find me something,” she added with a soft chuckle.

“Shall we continue?” he asked, gesturing to the remaining boxes and putting an arm around her.

“We shall, Boy Blunder.” She picked out a black and white box, with a tag that said “From Titans East”. There was Spanish written under it, that presumably said the same thing, only translated. The empath experimented with the box, lifting it lightly a few times. “Feels heavy. Wonder what it could be.”

“Maybe it’s one of Speedy’s broken bows,” Robin joked. She glanced at him in annoyance, and that was enough to shut him up. No one could do that to him quite like her. She unwrapped the box to find a stack of books, each one with a tag indicating who it was from.

“ _#Girlboss,_ ” Raven read. “From Bumblebee. Seems to be about the ass-kicking she was mentioning earlier.”

“Awesome,” Robin commented. “Although you don’t need a book to tell you how to do that.”

“Speedy got me _The Art of War,_ ” Raven continued. “Read a little bit of it a long time ago. Didn’t interest me that much. But I think I’ll give it another try now.”

“Why the change of heart?”

“Someone’s taught me how to appreciate these types of things a little more,” she said, rubbing his hair gently. He let out a content sigh and a small smile made its way across her face, before she turned her attention back to the books.

“ _Sweetbitter._ Aqualad certainly knows how to keep hitting the same nerve,” she said, shaking her head.

“What’s it about?”

“Apparently,” she said, turning to the back of the book, “It’s a fiction work about a waitress working in an upscale restaurant in New York.”

“Sounds like someone I know,” he snickered. Raven ignored him and pulled the last book out.

“A Spanish picture book. Interesting,” she mused.

“You have something to entertain the kids with now, I guess,” Robin pointed out.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.” She held up a hand and all the books floated towards a relatively full part of her bookshelf.

“What are you doing with those?” he asked.

“That’s my to-read section of this shelf,” she explained. “As you can see, I’ve been falling behind recently.”

“Still some presents to get through here as well,” Robin said, gesturing to the remaining three boxes.

“I know you’re so excited for me to get to yours, but I already said I’m saving it for last,” she teased.

“You really don’t have to,” he started. “All of these are already way better than—” She cut him off with a finger to her lips, and then picked up another box.

“From Cyborg,” she told him. Untying the bow and tearing off the paper, she pulled out a contraption with the unmistakable blue pattern of Cyborg’s circuitry. “Wonder what this does?”

“Poke around it and let’s see,” he suggested. She felt around the thing, which was a little bit smaller than a microwave. She felt a few buttons, but hesitated to press them.

“Hm, wait,” she said, looking back in the box. “There’s an instruction manual here.” Opening it up, she beamed as soon as she started reading the first page.

“What’s so funny?” Robin asked, leaning over to see.

“Congratulations! You are the lucky recipient of the world’s first ever bed-and-breakfast waffle and tea maker,” she read, looking back at the machine in amusement. “Designed by yours truly himself, this unique invention allows any sorceress to wake up every morning to a nice plate of toasty waffles and mug of Earl Grey,” she continued reading.

“That’s pretty cool,” Robin said, exploring the invention himself. He pressed a few buttons and an iron, as well as a water kettle, popped out.

“Very thoughtful,” Raven complimented, and set the instruction manual back in the box. “I’ll figure out how to install this thing later. Hopefully it doesn’t set my room on fire.”

“Two more,” Robin said to her. She nodded, and picked up a box with baby blue wrapping. Opening it up, she pulled out a stuffed teddy bear.

“It’s a mini Bobby,” she said in wonder. “Wow.”

“It doesn’t talk or move, does it?” Robin said, concerned. “I don’t want it going rogue or something.”

“Seems like it’s just a normal teddy bear,” Raven replied. “But still. Very nice. I just hope they didn’t do anything illegal or dangerous to get this made.”

“You really do take care of them well,” the Boy Wonder chuckled. “Are you sure you don’t like being called ‘Mom’?”

“Don’t push it, Dick,” she shot back. Picking up the final box, she shook it a little and felt the edges. “Can’t tell what this is.”

“Open it up,” he told her. “I hope you’ll like it.” She obliged and quickly tore the wrapping off to reveal a plain white box. The empath opened the flap and peered inside, then pulled out a chain. Attached to the end of it was a small, metallic purple raven. Robin reached into his shirt and pulled out a matching chain, but with a red robin on the end instead. Taking her hand, he put the two birds together, forming a heart.

“I hope it’s not too cliché,” he said sheepishly. “I had these custom designed. They’re small enough to not be noticeable, but you can still feel them when you wear it.” He then reached into the box and pulled out several tea bags and a small book. “These are your favorite brew,” he pointed out, “And this is just a little something I put together.” He flipped open the book to show her various pictures of them together. There was the time at the rink, the night at open mic, and just walking down the street, among others.

“When did we even take all of these?” she murmured.

“Some of us have a more photographic memory than others,” he said lightly. “Just something to keep by your bedside,” he added with a shrug. The Boy Wonder glanced at her nervously as she ran her fingers through everything he’d brought her. Holding the necklace in her palm, she slowly put it on over her head, then turned to him. She put his necklace back on for him, then promptly went and pinched his forearm.

“Ow!” he cried.

“You are a walking cliché, Boy Blunder,” she laughed, then gave him a quick kiss. “Thank you though. For…everything. It means a lot.”

“Anytime,” he responded with a smile. Just then, there was a knock at the door and both Titans stood up. Raven opened the door with her powers and there stood Beast Boy with his hands on his hips.

“If you guys are done, everyone’s about to leave,” he said, pointing to the other side. “And you missed the dopest dance off ever.”

“We’ll be right there,” Robin promised, and they swiftly followed him out of her room.

“Sorry I made you miss that,” she apologized. “I know you wanted to hang with them and—”

“It’s fine, Rae,” he interrupted. “I’ve hung out with the rest of them this entire day. Might as well get a few moments alone with my girl.” She blushed ever so slightly as they walked back to the main room.

“Been a real party, y’all,” Cyborg said to all of them as they arrived.

“We can stay and help clean up if you want, Sparky,” Bumblebee offered.

“Nah, don’t sweat it, Bee,” he dismissed. “Our house, you guys are the guests. Go on back to your cabin and then back to Steel City.”

“Today was most glorious,” Starfire said happily.

“Happy birthday again, Raven,” Aqualad said warmly. “Really loved getting to party with you today.”

“I—just opened up everyone’s presents with Robin,” she announced, and all the heroes stopped to listen to her. “And I just wanted to say…thank you. To each and every one of you. For making this day something to remember…finally in a good way.”

“Nobody can throw a better party than us,” Beast Boy proclaimed proudly.

“It was Bobby’s idea to get you that,” Melvin told her, and the empath couldn’t resist grinning from ear to ear, something rare for her, as she looked up at the teddy bear.

“Thank you, Bobby,” she said to him.

“Well, we better get going,” Speedy said to them. “Thanks for inviting us over again.”

“Our pleasure,” Robin answered, giving them a thumbs up. The rest of them departed as the Titans set about on the arduous task of cleaning up the place.

“Robin,” Raven said. He turned to her, and she nodded towards the roof. Understanding, he looked over at the others, who were starting up cleaning.

“Hey, we’re gonna go and have a minute, do you guys mind?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Cyborg replied. “We’ll start up here and you guys can join us later.”

“Thanks, Cyborg.” He turned back to Raven and followed the empath up to the roof. Once there, she automatically took his hand, and they gazed out over the bay, with no need for words. Minutes passed, with only a slight breeze interrupting the silence. They could both feel the tranquil effect of the moment on each other; Robin felt Raven growing calmer and recharging, while she felt him settle down and catch his breath, both figuratively and literally.

“I never expected to live to see this day,” she murmured after a while.

“But you’re here,” he replied, still looking straight ahead. “And you’ve got many more of these days ahead of you.”

“Perhaps,” she said. “Maybe there will be more parties, more friends. But the point remains that this is the first.”

“I wanted to make it feel that way. We all did,” Robin said.

“I appreciate the thought,” she responded. “And…I’m glad I could enjoy it. For real this time.”

“Like you said, don’t think we’ll stop at that,” he laughed. “We’re always looking for a good excuse to party.” She gripped his hand tighter and turned to him.

“This past year’s been amazing,” she said quietly. “I just haven’t realized it until now. We made so many new friends, we stopped mostly everyone for now, and I found…” she leaned in closer to him, looking into his eyes. “Love.”

“Can’t rest on our laurels,” he mused. “Still a lot of work to do. That’s just how the world works.”

“But like you said,” she reminded him. “Sometimes it’s nice to take a break. To just live life normally…or at least as close to normal as we can get.”

“That is true,” he admitted. “These past few months have been a lot different than what I’m used to. But at the same time it’s been…nice.”

“This rooftop has been so very eventful, hasn’t it?” she chuckled.

“It’s meaningful for both of us,” he said with a smile. “I guess that’s what brought us closer to begin with.”

“I suppose usually this birthday has some kind of significance, doesn’t it?” she brought up. “Transition to adulthood or whatever.”

“You’re an adult now, technically,” he chortled. “Scary thought for the rest of the world.”

“Just imagine how they’ll feel when it’s Beast Boy’s 18th.”

“However,” Robin began, “You’ll always be mine, Rae.” He wrapped his arms around her and lightly pressed his lips to hers, as they hugged tightly under the moon.

“You’re warm as usual,” she said contentedly, as they broke free.

“Happy birthday, Raven,” he said softly. She buried her face in his chest, suddenly feeling her entire body heat up and chills run down her spine.

“You made this day the best one of my life,” she whispered.

“Really?” he asked, taken aback.

“Yes,” she repeated, nodding. “Everything about it. Today was perfect.”

“I’m glad I could,” he whispered back. “Anything for you.” They looked into each other’s eyes again, and she reached a hand up.

“You mind if I do this again?” she asked softly.

“Go ahead.” She peeled his mask off, immediately feeling another rush just from looking into his eyes. Raven put both hands on his cheeks, and pulled him in, giving him another long, satisfying kiss. Pulling away, she kept her hands on his face and made the most beautiful smile Robin had ever seen.

“Robin?”

“Yeah, Raven?”

“I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
